The Unexpected Visitor
by Gray Love
Summary: Matt is visited unexpectedly by Amy, his cousin, but this visit leads to changes in the lives of the people in Mineral Town...especially the lives of five boys...
1. Matt's Unexpected Visitor

Author's Note: This story is based on the HM: FOMT and MFOMT for the GBA and a slight mixture of HM: BTN for the PS with some changes. I don't own rights to Harvest Moon but I have a copy of the three games in my possession. I only own my characters, Meadow Farm and the animals on it. (The italicized lines are mostly thoughts and a few of them are diary entries and letters.) This is the first fan fic I've written.

My Characters are:

Matthew Lorren (Matt for short): Jack

Amy Winthor: The girl you play in MFOMT.

Henry Lorren and May Winthor: Amy's parents.

Alex Lance: Amy's ex-boyfriend and a few others...

Chapter 1: Matt's Unexpected Visitor

Spring is in the air. One fine early spring morning, Matt woke up at 6 o'clock sharp, in his house. He went into the bathroom, took a long bath, combed his auburn hair, washed his face, brushed his teeth and shaved. Taking a towel, he wrapped himself with it. As he re-entered the bedroom, he took out his clothes from his chest of drawers, dressed into his white shirt, denim jeans andbrown boots. After he had dressed, he looked at a picture frame on his bedside table; it was a picture of a strong man in his mid-thirties holding his young son in his arms while an old man stood beside them near the entrance to a farm, Meadow Farm. From what anyone could see, the three looked extremely alike. He smiled and walked into the kitchen/dining room. He found Karen, his wife, sitting at the dining table, playing with Marc, their baby boy, who was enjoying it as they heard his giggles. At that moment, Matt cheerfully made a hearty breakfast for his wife and himself, and warm milk for Marc in the kitchen. He served it at the table.

"Thank you, Matt Dear!" Karen spoke softly as she fed Marc, who suckled the hot milk ravenously. "You're welcome, Honey!" He kissed her softly on the cheek. Suddenly, they heard happy barking outside. Matt went out through the door to check what was going on. He whistled for Luna, his dog, who bounded, leaped into his arms and was licking his face. A soft spring wind blew gently.

Matt put Luna down. He scanned his prosperous farm when he noticed a beautiful, young lady, standing near the white wooden fences. She wore a light blue-green coat over a white shirt and jeans, which gave a faint outline of her supple, shapely body. Her brown leather boots were quite dusty, perhaps, he deduced, because of travel. A leather rucksack was slung on her back while she held a traveling bag in her right hand. She had wavy, golden yellow hair, fair skin and stunning, sapphire blue eyes. He smiled. She approached him gracefully. Amy Winthor wasn't a very shy young woman. "Amy! How nice to see you. What are you doing here?" "I came here for a visit!" Matt suddenly felt happy.He had missed her very much. Amy simply smiled.

"Matt Dear, who is it?" Karen's voice came out from the open door. "It's Amy, Honey." "Amy!" Karen hurried outside, holding Marc in her arms. "Amy, it's a pleasure to meet you. Come in, come in." "It's nice to meet you too, Karen but I couldn't impose. You two must be very busy." "It's alright." Karen said. Matt nodded. Amy saw Marc, who gurgled. "Hello, little one." Amy sweetly smiled as she bent down and looked at him closely. "This little one is Marc." Karen held Marc out to Amy. Amy took Marc in her arms. Marc seemed to like being with her as he snuggled closer.

"He's such a sweet little boy. He looks just like you, Matt." Amy gave Marc back to Karen. "He does? I never realized that. I thought he looked more like Karen." "Oh, Matt Dear, I told you, he looks more like you." "Well, anyway, I have to go." Amy said. "Amy, wait, why not stay for breakfast at least?" Karen suggested. "Oh no, I couldn't, I'm already very full from my meal at the Inn." Amy sincerely smiled. "Alright, Amy, but do you need a guide to show you around town?" Matt suggested. "Oh, I shouldn't impose, Matt. You're busy with work on this beautiful farm." "Oh, I'll go with you, Amy. If it's alright? I need to buy some groceries anyway." Karen said. "Oh, that would be wonderful." Amy said. "Okay, I'll see you later at about 10:20?" Marc was gurgling in his mother's arms. "Okay."

Amy bade them farewell and went in the direction of the Inn, walking on a cobblestone road. She was deep in thought when she bumped into someone. "Ouch." Amy looked at the person she bumped into. He was a pleasant looking young man with orange hair. He wore glasses and a work apron over a green shirt and blue jeans. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Amy apologized. "It's okay." He said. "Well, see you." He went past her, his arm slightly brushed against hers. Amy headed for the Inn.

"Hello." A red-headed, kind-looking man wearing a bartender's vest stood behind the counter. "Hello, you must be Mr. Doug." Amy greeted. "Call me Doug, so what can I do for you today?" "May I have a room?" "Of course, the door to your room is near the stairs, you can't miss it." He handed her a key. "Thank you, Doug." As Amy ascended the stairs, a good-looking young man with long brown hair descended. He looked at her. "Hello." Amy greeted him with a sweet smile. "Uhh...Hello." He grew slightly red. "Well…I have to go." The young man continued his descent down the stairs.

'Young men here are…strange.' Amy thought. She headed up to her room and unlocked the door. The room was simple yet nice with three double beds with bedside tables. Appealing curtains hung by the windows, a light green carpet, and a side-table, a vase was on the table, filled with pretty moondrop flowers and a table with four chairs at the right corner of the room. A swirling fan/lamp hung on the ceiling. A door stood near the table, leading to a bathroom. Amy smiled, appreciating the simplicity of the room as she sat on the nearest bed. She put her bag near her bed andtook off her rucksack as well as her jacket. Opening her rucksack, she took out a small, pocket-sized digital camera. "_Hmm, I might be able to get some pictures while I'm here." _She put the camera back in the rucksack, took out her wallet, put it in her pocket, put the rucksack away under the bed and slowly laid herself on the bed. Her head landed on the pillow. _"What a soft bed…"_ Amy sighed contentedly.

She remembered her life in the city: living alone in an apartment after moving out of her parent's, no, her Mom's house, coming home from work to no one, living a life of habit and nothing exciting. Suddenly, Amy remembered when Matt was still living in the city. Life was a lot better in the city then. _"I even had a crush on him for a short time..."_ Amy giggled. The moments she and Matt shared were nice…but it wasn't what they both wanted: they were cousins. Amy knew during that time that one day Matt would meet the woman of his dreams and have a family of his own, but she never thought that life was for her, ever since_ he _came along_. "I don't want to end up like that again…" _Amy thought grimly. _"I'll never let anyone hurt me again."_ She thought so deeply that she forgot the time till her watch rang. She looked at it. "Oh my, it's already 9: 50."

Amy, not wishing to lounge much longer, stood and put on her jacket. She left the Inn, saying a quick goodbye to Doug. She walked towards the farm when she came across the blacksmith's shop. Loud shouting could be heard coming from the inside. Because of her curiosity, Amy entered the shop.


	2. Strange Encounters

Chapter 2: Strange Encounters

"Gramps, why isn't my work good enough?" A handsome, orange-yellow haired young man, wearing a blue cap which read "UMA" and greyish-brown work clothes, asked an old man, his grandpa, who looked to be the blacksmith. The young man looked at Amy. "Is there something you need? If not, you should leave, you have no business here." He said. Amy was silenced. She knew the young man could only be the blacksmith's apprentice.

The old blacksmith turned red with anger. "Gray, don't be so rude." He said as he began lecturing Gray. "Sorry, but it's not my fault. I try my best but you don't give me any praise, not once. I might as well quit because I'm not getting any better at this." Gray shot back. "It's better if you keep training and practicing, you shouldn't give up." Amy finally spoke. Gray looked at her in surprise then looked away. There was silence. "You're right; I was silly to say such things, I should do my best and continue working." Gray finally spoke, he was somehow calmer. "Oh, I should be going." Amy said. "Alright, come back anytime." The blacksmith said. Amy left, somewhat relieved that Gray had calmed down. She felt her heart beating as she thought of him. _"What's happening to me?" _Amy told herself as she walked on the lone cobblestone road leading to the farm.

During the rest of the morning, Amy and Karen went around Mineral Town. Karen, being the guide, showed her around, introducing Amy to some of the people including her parents, Jeff and Sasha, and her best friends, Elli, Popuri, Ann, and Mary The six girls talked about a lot of things including their crushes. Amy avoided talking about her ex-boyfriend. Soon enough, they became very good friends. "Amy, may I ask you a question?" Karen said after they had left the other girls. "Okay." Amy looked at Karen with curious eyes. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Amy was shaken by the question. "No…why do you ask?" Amy tried to sound calm. Karen giggled. "Because, I will personally introduce you to four of the most eligible bachelors this town has to offer." "Oh, Karen, I…I couldn't." Amy blushed. Karen smiled. "Oh, come on Amy, you should find a boyfriend at least, besides the men here are all very nice." Karen coaxed. "Alright, but I will only make friends with them. I…I can't handle a long distance relationship."

The two came across the church after passing Rose Square. "Let's go in." Karen said. Amy nodded, being a curious person. The two entered through the two oak doors. As they walked down the aisle, Carter, the pastor, wearing a black cassock, looked at them. Amy was admiring the exquisite glass windows. "Oh Amy, could you come here for a second?" Amy walked towards Carter. "Do you know a guy named Cliff?" Carter spoke softly. Amy thought; the name didn't register in her mind. She shook her head. "Well, he's the fellow sitting over there." Carter looked at the front pew of the church. Amy looked at that direction and saw the young man she had seen at the Inn a few hours ago sitting on the pew. "Cliff is new in town and has had some problems…and I was wondering if you could help him." "Of course, I would be happy to help, Pastor Carter." Amy looked thoughtfully at Cliff. "Thank you, Amy." Carter smiled.

Amy walked towards the front pew slowly. "Excuse me?" Cliff looked up. "Oh Hi, is something wrong?" "No." Cliff looked away, slightly flustered. "I'm Amy. It's nice to meet you." "I'm Cliff, likewise." He looked at her briefly. Amy sat down on the pew, she was nervous, she didn't know Cliff let alone know how to talk to him and help him. There was an awkward silence that surrounded them. Karen watched the two as she sat on one of the pews at the back. "Amy…" It was Cliff who spoke. "Yes?" "Have you ever felt that you were well…not meant to be in a certain place, a certain incomplete feeling?" He was looking at the floor. "Y…Yes, I have." Cliff smiled. "It's strange, I've tried to find something to do in life but I always end up failing. The people here are nice but…I just feel different when I'm with them." "Cliff…" Cliff looked at her. "I think its okay to fail…you should relax." Cliff thought for a moment. "You're right, Amy. I shouldn't take things too seriously. Thanks." "You're welcome. Excuse me, Cliff, I have to go." "Okay, see you later then, I look forward to talking to you again." Amy stood up with a simple smile on her face, and walked towards Karen, who giggled.

They walked out of the church and onto the cobblestone path. "Oh, Amy, I wanted to introduce you to Cliff. Well maybe I'll get my chance with another guy." They took the right path that lead to the clinic, the supermarket, the library and several houses. As Amy and Karen neared the supermarket, the pleasant looking man Amy had bumped into that morning stood from the bench he was sitting on and walked towards them.

"Hello Karen." "Hi Rick." Karen smiled as she greeted him; her yellowish brown hair fluttered gently with the wind. "And who is this lovely young lady?" Rick looked at Amy, who blushed. "Rick, this is Amy." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Amy." Rick said; a sincere smile on his face. "The pleasure is mine, Rick. I'm sorry that I bumped you this morning." "Don't worry about it. No harm done. Well, I've got to go. I still have to tend to the chickens." "You take care of chickens?" "Yup, I tend them while my mother, Lillia, manages the store, and Popuri helps out." "Oh, I would love to raise chickens and other animals, if only I had a farm." "Really?" Rick spoke enthusiastically. Amy nodded. "Wow. Well, I have to go; I'll see you later perhaps. Bye." "Bye Rick." Amy said. "Bye-bye, Rick." Karen said, somehow happy to have seen Rick's interest in Amy. "Bye Karen."

When Rick was out of earshot, Karen sighed with relief. "Two down, two to go. But first, let's eat; it's already 12:00." "Okay Karen." The two took a left turn heading towards the Inn. Karen ordered a full meal, consisting of meat, rice and vegetables while Amy ordered a vegetable salad. "Amy, you should eat a balanced diet." Karen spoke matter-of-factly. "You don't want the boys to think you're too thin, do you?" Karen added, teasingly. "No, but I told you before, Karen. I don't want to be in a serious relationship with any of them, I just can't take a long-distance relationship, besides my stomach can't take a heavy meal." "Oh Amy, well anyway, let's eat." The two ate. "Wow, the food here is so sumptuous." Amy ate the salad with gusto. "I agree but I like the drinks here at night more." Karen revealed. Amy simply smiled.

They finished their meal. "Well, we better go; you still have to meet two of the four bachelors I mentioned." "I think I've met one of them already." "Really, who?" "…Gray." "Ooh, hehe, to tell you the truth Amy, I think he's appealing." "You mean!" Amy was shocked. "Oh no, what I meant was Gray's attractive but I love Matt, he's made me the happiest I've ever been in my life and he is, in my opinion, the kindest and handsomest man I've ever met." Amy sighed with relief as Karen giggled. "You were thinking I would leave Matt?" Amy nodded. "I would never do that; it would hurt me too much to do so." "I'm sorry to bring up the subject, Karen. I didn't mean to upset you." Amy looked down, embarrassed. "It's alright, Amy. You just misunderstood what I said." Karen reassured. Amy looked up, looking cheerful. They left the Inn.

"Karen, can I tell you something?" "Okay." "Please don't tell this to anyone." "Your secret is safe with me, Amy." "Okay… (Amy took a deep breath)…I think I'm starting to like Gray." "Oh, Amy, why didn't you tell me?" Karen looked at her happily, her emerald eyes shone brightly. "I didn't realize it until this moment but I keep thinking about him especially when I saw Rick. I suppose it's because Gray has orange hair." Amy confessed. Karen laughed. "Oh well, then you wouldn't need to meet Tim." Karen said after she had controlled herself. "Tim?" Amy looked at her curiously. "He's the doctor in the clinic. I think you'll meet him one of these days but first, you'll have to nurture you're "like" for Gray." Karen winked. Amy flushed. "Don't worry, Amy. I think it would be easy in your case." "What do you mean?" "Well, you could go mining at the spring mine. Gray, I'm sure, loves ores: copper, silver, gold and etc." "But how do I mine? I don't know where the mine is and I don't know how to mine ores." "You'll have to ask Matt that, I don't go with him when he goes mining." "Can you suggest anything else?" "Hmm…I think Gray likes chocolates, baked corn, and eggs and…hehe…branches." "Branches? Oh…" "What's wrong, Amy?" "Maybe it's a not such a good idea; I have only enough money to last a season here and I don't think branches make a nice gift." "Well then, the mines are you're best bet." "I'll go talk to Matt then…" Amy looked slightly melancholic. "I'll help you if anything goes wrong." Karen tried to cheer her up. The two took the right road, passing AJA winery, and then left towards the farm.


	3. A Dream Come True

Chapter 3: A Dream Come True

"Matt, may I ask you something?" Amy looked at her cousin; her sapphire eyes met his striking blue eyes. "What is it, Amy?" Matt said; eager to help his cousin. "Can you teach me how to mine?" Amy's cheeks flushed. "Mine?" Matt's blue eyes looked at hers inquiringly. "Matt Dear, Amy wants to learn how to mine so that she can get ores." "What are the ores for, Amy?" Matt sat down on a chair. "…" Amy blushed even more. "Matt, Amy has to earn money." "Money?" Matt looked at his wife curiously. "She wants to stay here longer but she needs income." Karen hoped that Matt would believe her. "Oh, well in that case, of course I'll help you Amy." "Really?" Amy looked enthusiastic. "I'll help you Amy by mining for you." "But Matt, what about the farm?" Amy's eyes showed concern. "You'll work on the farm in return, Amy. It's not as hard as mining." "Me? But I don't know a thing about farming." "I'll teach you today, if you wish." Amy thought about it, Matt's suggestion was reasonable, besides she would be able to care for the animals, a task she would love to learn, and maybe taking care of and harvesting crops wouldn't be so bad. Amy nodded. "I'll do my best, Matt." "Alright let's begin, shall we?"

The two left the house. Matt began by teaching Amy how to water and harvest the crops on the field and in the hot house, removing the weeds on the field using a scythe and harvesting honey carefully from the beehive that hung on the apple blossom tree as well as caring for Skyracer, Matt's prized stallion, who was reining champion at the Horse Races: Spring and Fall for two years running. Amy was amazed at how beautiful Skyracer was. She stroked his soft, whiteback and he whinnied softly. "He likes you." Matt commented. Amy giggled. They entered the chicken coop after seeing to Skyracer, who was now grazing in the pasture. Amy was slightly surprised when she held Sechia, Matt's first and most prized hen, for the first time but she soon got used to it as well as tending to the eight other chickens, namely Chersie, Popuri, Elli, Ann, Mary, Manna, Anna and Lillia. "Matt, why didn't you name one after Karen?" "Because I didn't think Karen was a chicken." Matt joked. Amy laughed.

Matt taught her how to place the chicken feed in the feeding box. As Amy learned all this, she noticed that there was an egg lying on one of the incubators. "She'll hatch in three days." Matt said as he saw what she was looking at. "A new chick?" Matt nodded. "You can name her, Amy, when she hatches." "Matt, I…I don't know what to say." "You don't have to say anything Amy. It's the least I could do for the three years we've been apart." Amy nodded. "Thank you, Matt." Matt smiled. He also taught her how to make mayonnaise using the Mayonnaise Maker.

Lastly, they went into the barn where Mirodi, his cow, fed on the fodder in her feeding box and Karen, his golden wool sheep, slept. Matt taught Amy how to milk Mirodi, Amy was surprised to find that Mirodi gave golden milk; and sheer Karen's gold wool as well as brush them both. Amy smiled when she realized that Matt had named a sheep after his wife and that the sheep was just like Karen. She also noticed that there were two other animals in the barn, a little cow and a lamb. "That cow is Chidori, Mirodi's own calf, while the lamb is Sasha, Karen's." Matt slightly beamed with pride. Amy giggled. Sasha was supposed to be Karen's mother, not vice versa. He also taught her how to make cheese and yarn using the Cheese Maker and Yarn Maker. It took Amy only one hour to learn all that Matt taught her. "Well, that's everything." "Thank you so much, Matt." "Your welcome, Amy. We'll start tomorrow morning." Amy nodded, she felt so blissful that she would be able to take care of Matt's farm while she would also be able to win Gray's affections. It was like a dream come true for her.

Amy spent the rest of the afternoon at the farm and headed back to the Inn a little after sundown after saying goodbye to Matt and Karen and getting a wet kiss from Luna. When she arrived at the Inn, she ate a healthy dinner then went up to her room, unable to wait for tomorrow as she lay on her bed. Half an hour later, Amy left her room only to see Gray walking towards her. "Amy, may I talk to you for a moment?" "Of course, Gray." Amy was surprised that he knew her name. They went into the room next door, the room she noticed was almost the same as her own but the things were positioned in the opposite direction and that there was a round table with four chairs surrounding it on the left corner instead of the right.

"What is it, Gray?" "Amy, I'm so sorry about this morning, I was rude to you." "It's alright, Gray." "I shouldn't have said such things. I don't blame my Grandpa; it's just that I just don't see him praising me for my efforts." "I understand." There was a moment of silence. "I don't know why Amy...I'm not really very open to others, but I feel at ease when I'm with you." Amy blushed. "Oh, Gray…" "Amy, may I ask you a question?" "What is it?" "Do you mine?" "I want to try." Amy flushed even more. "That's good to here. I like ores, being a blacksmith and all." Gray smiled. "I still have a lot to learn though." He added; his face slightly gloomy. "You're a great blacksmith, Gray. I know you can do it." Amy tried to cheer him up. "Thanks Amy. When I get better, I'll try to make something for you, though I can't promise you anything." "Thank you, Gray. Goodnight." "Goodnight, Amy." Amy left the room, a smile plastered on her face.

Amy walked into her room again, daydreaming about Gray. "Oh Gray…" She whispered to no one. _"What am I saying, I can't love him…I can't."_ She told herself. She shook her head. _"I'll only get hurt in the end, I'm sure of it."_ Amy felt her eyes sting as tears began to form. Unable to control them, she sobbed. "Amy, is something wrong?" Amy looked up. A girl her age with long orange hair tied in a braided ponytail was standing beside her, a look of concern etched on her pretty face; Amy hadn't heard Ann enter the room. "Oh Ann, it's nothing really." Amy wiped the tears from her eyes. "Amy, I know there's something wrong. Please, tell me." Ann tucked a loose strand of her orange hair behind her ear. Amy thought for a moment.

"Alright, can you keep a secret?" "Of course, Amy. You can trust me." Amy tried to keep herself from sobbing; just remembering the moment was painful. "…I've had a bad experience before coming here." She finally spoke, her voice quivering. "What do you mean a bad experience?" "I…I found out that my boyfriend cheated on me." "Oh Amy, I'm so sorry." "What's worse, he even had the nerve to tell me he didn't love me even when he asked me to be his girlfriend. I felt so used." "What, he's so cruel, that…" Ann clenched her hand into a fist. "Amy, you should forget about him, a man like him doesn't deserve you." "I want to forget him, I try to, but I can't. I can't forget the pain." Amy sobbed. Ann sat down beside her, trying her best to soothe as she rubbed Amy's back. After some time, Amy began to feel better. "Thank you so much, Ann. I feel a lot better." Amy smiled at her friend. "What are friends for, Amy!" Ann smiled back. "Now let's go downstairs, I think you need something to drink, maybe some milk or juice."

The two girls went downstairs just in time to see Cliff about to go upstairs. "Hello Ann." "Hello Amy." "Hi Cliff." Ann beamed. "Hi Cliff." Amy tried to hide her slightly reddish eyes. "Is something wrong, Amy?" Amy shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Cliff." "Are you sure?" He looked at her worriedly. Amy nodded her head. "Okay, take care of yourself." Cliff continued ascending the stairs.

When they heard the door close from across the hallway, Amy smiled. "Cliff's so considerate." "I agree, Amy. He's nice and caring." Ann giggled. "Cliff and Gray are slightly alike..." Amy looked at Ann in surprise. "…I mean, they were both from out of town and they moved here." Ann continued. "Oh." Amy blushed. "Amy?" "Hmm?" Amy looked at Ann. "Do you like someone?" Ann teased. Amy's cheeks flushed. "Hehe, you do, don't you?" Ann giggled. Amy could only nod, slightly flustered. "Who is the lucky guy?" Ann looked at Amy cheerfully. "…I can't tell you yet, Ann." "Why?" "Because I'm not really sure if it really is a crush or not." "Oh, Amy, you might find out sooner or later. Probably sooner; whoever he is." Ann smirked; she had a clue to who he was. "Anyway, let's get a cup of freshly squeezed hot milk. That will make you feel better. It usually does for me when I'm down." Ann continued as she led Amy to a table before entering the backroom/kitchen as Amy could tell from the short glimpse she got of kitchen utensils and chopping boards. Amy sighed; she envied Ann, who was pretty, smart and hardworking. _"I wish I was as pretty as Ann." _Amy sighed once more. Ann returned with two cups of steaming milk.

"Here you go, Amy, bottoms up." Ann teased. Amy giggled. She took a sip of the hot milk. "Uhmm…this is good." Amy took another sip. "I know; it's the perfect thing to make anyone feel better." Ann beamed. Amy nodded, she was feeling slightly better. _"With a good friend to help you and stick by your side, everyone would feel a lot better." _Amy smiled at the thought, she considered Ann and the other girls her friends unlike the friends she had in the city. _"I'm thankful I came here." _"Ann?" "Hmm?" Ann looked at her after sipping her cup of milk. "Thanks for helping me." "No problem, Amy." The clock struck 7. The two finished their cups quickly. "Well, I better get ready, they'll be coming in." Ann said. _"The village men's long-awaited time to drink, be merry and get together among themselves." _Amy presumed. "Okay, I'll be going upstairs, Goodnight Ann. See you tomorrow" "Goodnight, Amy." Ann said before heading towards the backroom, carrying the two empty cups.

Amy went upstairs. She saw a bit of light shining from the room next to hers. _"The two guys are still up." _She smirked. Opening the door to her room, she turned on the lights. A cat walked into her room. "Hmm? The Inn has a cat?" Amy looked down at the orange-stripped, yellow cat. "Hello." Amy bent over and began to stroke its back. The cat purred contentedly and rolled over. She stroked its stomach, noting that it was a she. Amy then straightened up and took her bag from its place. She took out a simple T-shirt and PJs as well as her toiletries. She put her bag back in its place and went over to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, undressed and took a shower. After the bath, she took two towels from a cabinet and dried herself. She dressed into the fresh clothes she brought in.

She left the bathroom and headed to her bed, where she sat, and placed her wallet in her rucksack. She took out her diary and favourite blue pen before concealing the rucksack under the bed. She unlocked it with the golden key which hung around her neck…

_Spring 10, 7:50 pm, Sunday_

_Coming to Mineral Town was a great idea. The townspeople here are very friendly and nice. I made some good friends here; some of them girls my age. I met a few guys too; my best friend Karen introduced me to some of them. One of them was really attractive. His name is Gray._

_I also cried today. I guess it was because Gray reminded me of Alex in some ways and the pain came back to me again. I'm thankful Ann was with me to comfort and help me. She's a great friend. I wish I were like the girls here but I'm not like them, their pretty, smart, cheerful, friendly, modest and some of them are energetic…I sometimes think it would hurt me to leave them and go home when summer comes but Mama would surely "worry" and cajole me to come back. I hope that never happens; I don't want to leave him. I've developed a kind of crush on him. I wish he feels the same way for me; but I'll just avoid falling for him. I can't take having a relationship at the moment, the pain of heartbreak keeps coming back to haunt me at the moment. When I recover from this, I may think about it. _

_-Amy_

Amy closed her diary and locked it. Placing it on the bedside table along with her pen, she turned off the lights, pulled up the sheets and lay down, snuggling into the soft bed. She closed her eyes, her chest rose and fell in sleep. She was completely exhausted from travelling that day from the city to the town.


	4. The Beggining

Chapter 4: The Beginning

The next morning, Amy awoke at 5:30. She combed her messy hair with her hand. She took out a white shirt and overalls from her bag as well as a brush. She bathed, brushed her teeth and washed her face. As she left the bathroom, she brushed her hair straight. She looked around the room; the cat was sleeping on one of the beds. Amy left the room quietly, carrying her rucksack. After having a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, she headed to the farm. Ann watched her go, happy to see that Amy was looking cheerful that day. 'She deserves better…' Ann thought.

During the day, Amy dutifully worked on the farm as Karen watched, holding Marc in her arms. After some hours, Amy took out a handkerchief from her pocket. She wiped her sweaty face. Suddenly, a cup of water appeared in front of her. She looked beside her. Karen was standing there, smiling as she held out the cup. "Thanks, Karen." Amy took the cup gratefully. She drank. "You work hard, Amy." "Thanks. I like working on the farm, Matt is lucky." Amy smiled, she was happy for her cousin. "I agree…I first thought Matt wouldn't last here for more than a few days but he proved me wrong. But because of that and his kindness, I fell in love with him." Karen blushed, her thoughts wandered to the memories during the three years since she met and got to know and love Matt. "Matt was never a quitter." Amy laughed, remembering their childhood days when Matt strove to fulfil his parents' aspirations for him by doing extremely well at school, while being able to gain a reputation for himself. Karen could only smile, knowing that she would never belittle her husband again.

"Now, what could the two of you be talking about?" A voice sounded from behind them. Both Amy and Karen gasped in surprise. They both looked behind them. "Matt Dear, welcome home." Karen kissed her husband on the cheek. Matt kissed her softly on the lips, holding a full basket in his hands. "Matt, welcome back." Amy smiled. "I'm glad to be back. Oh which reminds me Amy, it was prosperous work today." "?" Amy was puzzled. Matt showed her the basket. Amy gasped. In it were gold, mysterile, orichalcum and adamantite ores which filled the whole basket. "Wow, Matt, I…I can't thank you enough, this is too much." "Some of the others are your reward for doing a great job on the farm." Matt put the basket down. Amy looked at Karen, who nodded in agreement. "Thank you so much, Matt. You're too kind." Matt laughed. "Now, how many times have I heard that!" Matt looked at his wife affectionately. "It's true, Matt Dear." Karen held his arm. "Well, we should go inside, it's lunch time." Matt suggested. Amy nodded. Karen blushed. "Matt Dear, perhaps you should cook." "Of course, Honey. I think your cooking skills need to be saved for a better day, perhaps on a rainy day." Karen flushed. Amy guessed that Karen was ashamed of her cooking.

They went into the house. Amy gasped when she saw what Matt had prepared, stir-fry, stew; fried rice and boiled spinach…Amy ate with delight. The food was superb. While they ate, Amy noticed that Karen kept looking at Marc who was drinking his hot milk ravenously. "Karen?" Amy finally spoke when Matt went into the kitchen. "What is it, Amy?" "Is something wrong with Marc?" Karen looked at Marc who was reaching out to her, hoping to be cuddled. "Oh no, there's nothing wrong with Marc, why did you say that?" Karen cuddled her beloved son. "It's just that you kept looking at him as we ate." "Oh that, hehe, I was just worried Marc would grow fatter than normal." "Hehe, you're health conscious for Marc." Amy giggled. Karen could only nod, slightly embarrassed. Amy went to help Matt in the kitchen as Karen put Marc to bed after crooning him to sleep.

Amy bade the two of them goodbye half an hour later, the ores in her rucksack, and headed to the Supermarket. "Hello, Amy." Jeff said. "Good afternoon, Jeff. May I have this wrapped?" She handed him the mysterile ore, having found out that it was Saibara the blacksmith's birthday. "Of course, that will be 100G." Amy handed him the money then put the newly wrapped gift in her rucksack. "Thanks, Jeff." She said earnestly and gave both he and Sasha, his wife, a moondrop flower. "Thank you, Amy. I like this." Jeff said. "Yes, thank you, Amy." Sasha smiled. Amy immediately headed towards the blacksmith shop, after saying goodbye to Jeff and Sasha. When she arrived, she didn't see Gray working. Saibara smiled when he saw her. "Welcome Amy." Amy handed the gift to Saibara. "Why, thank you, Amy. I almost forgot that it was my birthday today." "You're welcome, Saibara." Amy gave him a smile. "Saibara…Where is Gray?" "Oh, Gray is at the Inn, Amy." "The Inn?" "Yes, he usually reads during the afternoon except when the library's closed." "Thank you, Saibara. Well, I have to go. Good-bye." "Good-bye Amy, come back again." "I will."

Amy left the blacksmith shop. She took the right path and ran all the way to the Inn. She greeted Ann and Harris the policeman, as she entered. She half-ran up the stairs but, when she reached the top, slowly walked towards the boys' room. Before going in, she took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened and Gray stood before her. "Hi Amy." "Hi Gray." She reached into her rucksack and took out a silver ore. She shyly handed it to Gray who, though surprised, was pleased. "Thanks, Amy." Gray smiled shyly, his eyes slightly hidden by the bill of his blue hat. Amy looked at him adoringly. His smile was so adorable and slightly contagious. "Come in." Gray moved to give room for her to enter. Amy gingerly went in though she was nervous, this was the second time she had entered the room yet she still felt slightly uneasy because, though this was a room Gray and Cliff shared, at the moment they were alone. "I just came to give you these." Amy shyly spoke. She handed him two gold ores and a mysterile ore. "Thank you again, Amy. I'm really thankful you're around; I can't stand my Grandpa's excessive criticism. He really doesn't appreciate my work, but you encourage me to do better." "You're welcome, Gray. I'm glad I'm able to help you." Amy said as she tried to hide her slightly flushed face. Gray didn't seem to notice. She was thankful. "Well, I have to go now, Gray. I'll see you later." "See you later, Amy." Gray smiled.

Amy closed the door behind her and sighed dreamily. _"No."_ She told herself._ "What's happening? I shouldn't feel this way. I can't love him, it's impossible."_ She remembered what happened to May, her mother, when she and Henry, her father got divorced. _"Papa had a mistress, Mama was heartbroken and I had a heartless boyfriend."_ Amy controlled herself, her eyes almost at the brink of tears. _"But, is it possible that Gray is different? Or perhaps any of the other young men here are different from Alex. Gray is sweet but Alex was like that before too but...I don't know." _Amy thought deeply for awhile. _"I have to move on with my life; besides I think…I think I'm falling for Gray."_ Amy told herself. She went downstairs and asked Doug if she could borrow an empty box. Doug agreed and gave her one, it looked new. She went up to her room after thanking him. She noticed the cat had left. Unloading the ores in her rucksack, she put them in the box. She lay on her bed, her body felt somewhat sore yet winning Gray's affection made it bearable. It was worth the soreness. Amy slowly took her diary from the bedside table.

_Spring 11, 2:10 pm, Monday_

_I worked at Meadow Farm today, it was so much fun. I liked it a lot. Matt found a lot of ores today too, enough to fill a whole basket. I couldn't believe the look on Gray's face when I gave him a few of them. He had such an adorable smile. I've decided to leave Alex in the past and move on with my life. I like Gray, a lot...He's so cute. I really want him to like me too…I feel so happy yet so sore. Maybe it's because I had to carry all of the ores in my rucksack. But I'm alright; I'll work hard for Gray and my future. Who knows, I might want to stay here…_

_-Amy_

Amy put the diary back after locking it again. She lounged on the bed for some time before thinking of going to the Poultry Farm to chat with Popuri. She left the Inn and walked, heading towards the Poultry Farm which was close to Meadow Farm. She stood outside the door, listening to the clucking of the chickens. When she opened the doors…Rick and Popuri and a woman, whom Amy guessed must be Lillia, their mother, were standing around the table. The smell of boiled eggs filled the room. "Wow, cool!" Popuri smiled. "They laid many eggs today. Everyone's so healthy! I made spa-boiled eggs so let's eat them together." A big smile was plastered on Rick's face. "Okay." Lillia agreed. "Hi Amy." Popuri said, being the first to spot Amy. "Good afternoon, Amy. I'm Lillia." Lillia smiled. "Hey Amy, are you shopping today?" Rick asked. "I was thinking of going shopping later." "Just take your time, by the way, I was wondering, do you like eggs?" Rick looked slightly shy. "Yes, I love eggs." Amy softly smiled. "I knew it. Wait right there." Rick smiled and picked up a spa-boiled egg which he handed to her. "Here, this is a spa-boiled egg. It's a healthy snack." "Thank you, Rick." Amy said. "Well, I have to go…I still have some things to do." "Okay, Bye, Amy." Rick had a big smile on his face. "See you later." Popuri said. "Goodbye, Amy." Lillia bade her farewell. "Bye."

Amy left through the doors again, the spa-boiled egg still in her hands. _"Mmmm…this smells good."_ She thought. She walked towards Rose Square. When she arrived, she sat on the bench nearest the trash can and slowly began to take off the eggshell. She took a small bite. _"Mmmm…it's so good."_ She savored every bit of the delicious egg. After a few more bites, she had finished the egg and was thankful Rick had given it to her. It seemed to have relieved her of her soreness. She then stood and took the right road towards the church. She looked at her watch…it was 3:00 in the afternoon.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. As you might have read or may know, I've placed Rick's Black Heart Event here but I made this the Purple Heart Event instead for two reasons: 1.) Because I thought this was much sweeter than the real Purple Heart Event and 2.) Because I actually triggered this event when Rick had a purple heart on my character in the MFOMT game...:)


	5. A Visit To The Clinic & Dinner

Chapter 5: A Visit To The Clinic & Dinner

Amy was about to walk towards the clinic, hoping to talk to Elli when…Cliff came out of the church. "Hello Amy." He said with a smile. "Hi Cliff." Amy gave him a sweet smile. "Amy…" "Hmm?" She looked at him with curious eyes. "Would…would you like to eat dinner with me and Pastor Carter tonight?" Amy gasped in surprise but she calmed herself with a smile. "That would be nice." "Okay, I'll see you at about 7 o'clock?" "Okay." "Well, I have to go. See you later, Amy." "See you later, Cliff." Amy watched as Cliff walked to the Inn. After he was out of sight, she headed to the clinic.

Amy entered the clinic, only to find Elli with a little boy. "Stu, what are you doing here?" Elli looked at Stu, the little boy, with worried eyes. "I came to show you something, Big Sis." Stu said; his hands behind his back. "Stu, what is it?" Elli looked slightly uneasy. "This!" Stu held out his hands. There in the palm of his hands was a blue dragonfly. Suddenly, it flew from his hands and out the window. "Aaah! Stu, you know I hate bugs!" Stu ran behind Amy, scared of his sister's annoyed face. "Oh…Hello Amy. I didn't see you come in." Elli calmed slightly. "Hi Elli." "Amy, do you know there's someone behind you?" Stu stood beside Amy, an unhappy look on his face. "Big Sis, I just wanted to show it to you…You understand, don't you, Sister?" Amy looked at Stu, who was looking up at her. "Well, Stu, I think it's better that you show Elli things that she likes." "Oh…Okay." Stu seemed to have understood what she meant as a smile appeared on his face. Amy opened the pocket compartment of her rucksack and found the bag of freshly bought, packed, fruit jellies she had brought with her from the city, still safe even after almost being crushed by the ores. She took out some of the jellies and handed them to Stu. "Wow, thank you, Sister." Stu had a big smile on his face as he looked at the jellies in the palms of his hands. "You're welcome, Stu." Elli was relieved and happy as she and Amy watched Stu leave the clinic as he ate a few of the jellies. "Thank you, Amy." Elli finally spoke when the door closed behind Stu. "It's alright, Elli." Unexpectedly, a black-haired, expressionless, young man came out of an opening in the curtained divider. He wore a long, white coat. "Elli, are you alright?" "I'm okay, Tim." Elli went upstairs. Tim's black eyes came upon Amy.

"Oh…Are you a patient?" Amy noticed that he still had an expressionless face. "No…I'm not." "Okay…Wait a minute; you must be Amy, Matt's cousin. I'm Tim. You can come to the clinic any time you want. I'm the doctor of this town and…I hope to make good medicine to help others especially with their health in mind." "Wow! I know you can do it…" Tim smiled for the first time since she had seen him a few moments ago. "Which reminds me…Amy, I brought some new medicine from another town but I only had a limited supply. It was for regaining energy. If it's alright, would you like to try the improvised version I made of it?" "O…Okay." Amy tried her best to look calm. She had never had medicine in her life, having been healthy since she was a baby. Neither her parents nor her family ever had health problems. _"There's a first time for everything." _She told herself. "Okay, please follow me." Tim went back through the opening. Elli descended from the staircase, a worried look etched on her face. "I hope you can stand it…" Amy heard her say as soft as a whisper. She saw Elli return to her seat behind the counter. Amy let out a sigh before she went through the door-like opening.

The room was barely furnished. The only things inside were Tim's desk and a few bookshelves. On the desk, Amy could see papers and a bottle full of what she guessed was the medicine Tim had told her about. Tim sat at his desk with a small cup in his hands. He poured the medicine into the cup and handed the cup to Amy. "_This is it_." Amy drank the medicine. It unpleasantly slid down her throat. "How was it?" Tim had a soft smile on his face. "It…It doesn't taste so good." "But you do feel better?" "Now that you mention it, I do feel somewhat better." "Thank you, Amy. You are amazing." Amy gave a faint smile; the medicine had left an awful aftertaste on her tongue. "I have to go now, Tim." "Of course, you probably still have some things to do." "Bye." "Good-bye, Amy." Amy left the room. "How was it?" Elli spoke softly. "It tasted awful." Amy replied with the same whispery tone. "I'm really sorry, Amy." "It's alright, Elli. I actually felt better after drinking it." "You did?" Amy nodded. "Well, I have to go." "Okay, bye, Amy." "Bye, Elli. I'll see you tomorrow." Elli nodded. Amy left the clinic and looked at her watch; it was almost 3:40. She decided on walking towards the Inn.

As she walked into the Inn, Amy went up to her room. She picked up her bag after setting her rucksack down. She took out some of her other clothes. She put them on her bed and began to scrutinize them. Why was she making a fuss of things concerning young men? She wasn't sure why, but she supposed it was natural to her since she had had several dates with two ex-boyfriends before in her life. One a well-known painter in the city, the other a famed dancer/singer/actor and probably a model now too, he was also well-known in the city. _"Alex…" _Amy sighed. She selected a green top over a pair of blue jeans. Amy looked at herself in a small mirror. She wasn't much of a beauty, she noted to herself. _"Mama is still a more beautiful woman than I would ever be. I could never be as beautiul as her." _

As Amy made herself ready, Gray was lying in bed in the other room. _"I wonder what Amy is doing now?" _He shook his head. _"What am I thinking; I like Mary but Amy…"_ He remembered how Amy tried to be nice to him; she helped him withstand his grandfather's criticism. "_I guess…she's okay." _He closed his eyes, the bill of his cap concealing a part of his face. Cliff was looking out the window, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Gray opened an eye and looked at him. "What's wrong with you?" He said. Cliff looked at Gray, who was older than him by a year or so. "I just can't stop thinking about her…" "About who?" "Amy…" For a moment, Gray felt a tinge of jealousy as Cliff said her name. "What about Amy?" "I don't know, she's a nice and kind person. I guess that's why I like her." Gray opened both his eyes instantly at what Cliff had said. It had dawned on him how much Amy had affected him, just thinking of how the other guys thought of her would perhaps…no, he couldn't possibly like Amy that much, he had just met her yesterday but then how could he explain what he felt for her. Just hearing Cliff say her name and his reaction to it was a definite sign of something…growing in him. _"Am I…Am I falling for her?"_ Gray had never felt this way before even when he was with Mary. There was a certain feeling swelling inside him that he could not comprehend. Was it normal? He wasn't sure. Cliff started talking about something…but Gray couldn't hear him. He was lost in thought…when he heard Cliff say something about dinner…"What was that?" "What?" Cliff looked at him. "Did I just hear you say dinner?" "Yeah, I did. I invited Amy to dine with me and Pastor Carter tonight at the church." Gray was surprised, he couldn't believe how lucky Cliff was…. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall, it was almost a quarter to 5. "Well, I have to go now. See ya!" Cliff was about to head out the door. "Yeah, see ya." Gray lay himself down on the bed again.

Amy walked towards the church, she looked at her watch. It was already 5: 55. She had taken so long to decide what to wear that she had to hurry in dressing into the green top and blue jeans which had been her first choice. When she entered the church, she saw Cliff and Pastor Carter preparing for dinner. She helped clean the church with Cliff and all three of them sat down. She sat across from Cliff. Throughout dinner, she had enjoyed herself very much and so did Cliff.

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews. As you may have noticed, Gray is starting to have feelings for Amy but is still uncertain about them. Cliff has also grown to like her but are they the only ones? You'll have to find out in the next chapter which may take a while to be posted.


	6. A Priceless Gift

Chapter 6: A Priceless Gift

Amy awoke to a bright, sunny morning. It had been three days since that dinner with Cliff and Pastor Carter. She remembered the events of the past few days: how she was getting along with the townspeople especially the boys. For some reason, they seemed to be trying to woo her or was it just her imagination? They were showing certain signs that indicated that they liked her. Amy felt very happy, she and Gray were now quite close, perhaps he now considered her a friend.

Amy opened her diary. She slowly read the two earlier entries of her first few days in Mineral Town then to the two entries she had recently written just a few days ago wherein the three other boys were slowly hinting their interest in her. She giggled at the thought as she read them before turning the page to her last entry which had been written last night. She slowly read.

_Spring 13, 6:10 pm, Wednesday_

_I can't believe what happened today. I felt my heart soar when I saw Gray at the beach this afternoon; he was sitting on a rock. He had removed his hat which he had placed beside him. He looked extremely handsome without it. His yellow-orange hair lightly touched the nape of his neck. He saw me and gestured me to sit beside him, patting the spare space on the rock with his left hand. I couldn't resist. I sat beside him. I wonder, at times, why I feel like a teenage girl on her first date when I'm with him. I felt so nervous though I tried to be calm. I suppose it's because I'm starting to fall for him. As we sat there, he gradually confided in me about his life and his work. As I listened to him, I understood why he was so unhappy. His parents, especially his mother, Violet Smith Silvercraft, pampered him. Though he admitted that he enjoyed it being an only child, he developed a dislike for it as he grew older. When he had moved to Mineral Town after he was called upon by his grandfather, he found life unbearable as Saibara constantly scolded him and always made everything seem difficult by not praising him for his efforts, let alone his accomplishments. I seemed to feel how he felt: the sadness, the anger and the disappointment. I wanted to help him so much, to ease his sorrow. My respect as well as my feelings for him grew then and there. After he told me everything, there was silence that came over us for a long time. I simply watched as the sun began to set. Gray also seemed to be watching but I blushed when I felt his hand had touched mine. His hand was slightly calloused but it touched mine gently. I lay my head on his shoulder, he didn't seem to mind. I would never forget that moment for the rest of my life. I had hoped it would never end…_

_-Amy_

Amy smiled, she had meant every word that she had written and had written his every word accurately. _"I don't know why…but I want to remember this very moment, every detail of it for the rest of my life."_ Amy sighed dreamily as she locked her diary and placed it on her bedside table. She looked at the calendar she had placed on the wall, it was Spring the 14th. "Today's the Spring Thanksgiving Festival…" Amy mused. Karen had told her about it yesterday. "It's a festival where the boys give the girls they like cookies…" She quoted Karen. Amy had been excited but she was unsure. Did Gray like her enough to give her cookies? If he did, she would surely be swept of her feet. It was one of her weaknesses especially when they were chocolate cookies. She went to the bathroom: washed her face, bathed, and brushed her teeth. She dressed into a pink shirt over a pair of jeans.

She left the room, only to come face to face with Tim. "Hello Amy." "Hi Tim." She had a sweet smile on her face. "I wanted to give these to you." Tim had a genuine smile on his face which really suited him as he handed her a bluish-green bag. "Thank you, Tim." She accepted the cookies from him. The bag was wrapped neatly. She appreciated his offer. "Well, I have to go." Tim finally spoke. "Of course, I understand. You still have some work to do." "Goodbye Amy." "Goodbye Tim." Amy watched as Tim walked down the stairs. _"Tim should be with Elli…"_ She thought. She went downstairs with her rucksack and had strawberry jam on toast with relaxation tea for breakfast. She paid for her meal and left the Inn as she took a leisurely stroll. She had enough ores in her room to last her for the whole spring. Her mother would really want her to go home when summer came. She felt pain at the very thought of leaving. If she had to leave, she would leave Gray behind her... _"No…no…Mother would understand…surely she'd want me to be happy..."_ Amy tried to comfort herself, to tell herself that this was a rational reason for her to stay. She began to walk, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

"Amy, are you alright?" Amy looked up to come face to face with Popuri. "…Hello Popuri. It's nothing really." Amy gave her a smile. "Are you sure?" Amy nodded. "Maybe you shouldn't work so much…You should take care of yourself." Popuri suggested. "Maybe… Well, I have to go now, see you later." Amy smiled. "Okay, see you later." Popuri smiled back before going on her way. During the whole morning, Amy worked diligently on the farm, taking care of all the work, and during her afternoon visits to the townspeople, she received two more bags of cookies from Cliff and Rick. Amy thanked them profusely yet she sighed; she had wished the cookies had been from Gray. She returned to her room at the Inn to find the cat had returned. "Meow…" She rolled over. "Hello there!" Amy bent down and stroked her soft stomach. She noted that the cat's coat was shining slightly. "How have you been?" "Meowww…" She purred. "Hmm...I wonder if you have a name…" The cat's soft yellow fur shone as she purred. "I know; you remind me so much of my pet tomcat, Tiger so I'll call you Lioness." "Meow!" Lioness seemed to agree as she nodded. Amy walked towards the windows and looked out. The stars were shining brightly yet what caught Amy's eyes was the moon, which shone brilliantly though it was half-hidden. "I wonder if I can get a better view on Mother's Hill. What do you think, Lioness?" Amy looked down. Lioness's golden eyes shone in the moonlight. "Meow!" "I'll take that as a yes!" Amy smiled as she petted Lioness and took her rucksack. "I'll see you later, Lioness." Amy left the Inn.

When she came upon the forest path and the path leading to the Hot Springs, she headed up the mountain. As she reached the peak, the moon was covered by clouds, she could only distinguish a figure standing near the peak. When the clouds had moved and the moon shone once more, Amy gasped. The figure turned out to be Gray. She could tell he was looking up at the moon. She walked towards the trees slowly. A branch snapped under her foot. Amy looked at Gray and met his blue eyes. He had spotted her. "Good evening, Gray." She spoke softly. "Good evening, Amy." His lips curved into a smile. There was an awkward silence that surrounded them. "Don't you think the moon looks beautiful?" It was Gray who spoke. "Yes, it is. It's clearer here than in the city." Gray nodded. He placed his hand in his pocket and took out what looked like a folded cloth handkerchief. He handed it to her. "?" Amy looked at him curiously. She began to unfold the cloth. When she saw what it was, she gasped. It was a shining silver brooch with an exquisite sapphire embedded neatly on it. "I'm getting better as a blacksmith now. I wanted to give that to you today but I didn't have a chance. I wondered if you liked jewelry but I couldn't tell if you liked them or not because I haven't seen you wear any so…I wanted to try. I had to secretly make it though from Grandpa's "critical" eyes, I'm still not as good as him but I hope you like it." Gray half-smiled; he looked away from her bashfully. "Oh Gray, it's…it's so beautiful."Amy felt her heart skip a few beats, he looked so adorable and he's so sweet. She hugged him. "Thank you Gray, I love it. I love it so much." Gray smiled; relief evident on his face. Amy wore the brooch on her shirt. "It suits you." Suddenly without a second thought, she kissed his cheek. "Oh Gray, I…I'm so sorry." Both of them blushed. "Well, I have to go, Amy. Good night." "Good night, Gray." Gray walked down the path towards the forest as Amy watched him go. When she was alone, she felt her heart soar into the heavens. She looked at the bright full moon for one last time before she descended down the mountain path. The brooch was more valuable than all of the cookies she had received that day, it was priceless.

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews. As you have noted, I placed Gray's Blue Heart Event here but there are two changes: 1.) he has a slight crush on Amy, in the game, a Green Heart symbolizes a slight crush but in my game, Gray still had a blue heart when this happened and 2.) this was supposed to happen on your farm in the morning, not at night in the MFOMT game. I just thought it would be more romantic at night :).Will he fall for her? You'll have to find out in the next chapter.


	7. The Unwanted Intruder

Chapter 7: The Unwanted Intruder

Amy sat on her bed the next morning, unable to forget what happened last night. She dreamt of Gray as she slept that night. She looked at the oriental red silk pouch on the bedside table. She was thankful she brought it with her. It used to house her gold key necklace but now, she had placed the silver brooch inside it. It was funny to think that she valued it more than all the jewelry she owned at home but it was true. She felt elated even when she was just looking at it. It made her feel the same way she felt for Alex before…no, this was different, this was far better. Amy suddenly remembered the letter she had written to her mother before taking a bath. She had promised to write and she was going to send it today. She took it out of her pants' pocket and read it though she already knew the words by heart.

_Spring 15_

_Dear Mother,_

_I'm enjoying myself here in Mineral Town. I've met a lot of friendly people here and I've also made some friends, most of them about my age. Matt is doing fine, he has a family now. Marc, his son, is so cute. If you were only here, Mom, you would have said he was the most beautiful baby boy you've seen. I really like the people here, but I miss you, Mom. I found a cute little cat here too; she looks so much like Tiger except that she has yellow fur. I know you'll love her, Mom. You always loved cats. I named her Lioness. I also found someone special, I'll tell you about him next time…don't worry, I'm moving on with my life. You were right about coming here, Mom. It's so relaxing. I'll be able to go to work refreshed when I get back. I love you, Mom._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Amy_

Amy placed the letter in a stamped, white envelope and sealed it. "_Now how do I mail this?"_ Amy wondered. There were mailboxes around town but she hadn't seen a mailman. "_I wonder if Zack can help me…he is the shipper…perhaps someone could deliver it to the post office in the city…" _She thought. It was far-fetched but it was somehow possible. "_I probably should ask Matt about it."_ She finally thought as she placed the envelope carefully in her pocket. Lioness was still curled up in the other bed, sound asleep. "_Perhaps I should think about feeding her soon." _Amy took her rucksack and left the room. Matt had asked her to rest that day and enjoy her vacation and though she had been reluctant at first, she finally agreed. "_It would give me time to think about other things."_ Amy ordered pancakes and mixed juice, the heaviest meal she had ordered ever since she arrived. She also asked Ann for a bowl of fresh milk, which Ann courteously gave her. Amy went upstairs to her room, thinking that she could leave the bowl on the floor near the bed, but as she opened the door, she found that Lioness was already awake as she was sitting on the floor, cleaning herself. "Good morning, Lioness." Lioness rubbed against Amy's legs affectionately. Amy bent down and placed the bowl carefully on the floor. She watched as Lioness lapped at the milk. After she had finished every drop, Amy picked up the bowl and left the room, Lioness was walking beside her. She went into the back room/kitchen and was washing the bowl when Ann came in. "Amy! Let me do that." "It's alright, Ann. I love doing the dishes." Lioness simply sat on the counter, watching Amy with enthusiastic, golden eyes. When Amy was done, she handed the bowl to Ann. "Thank you very much, Ann, for the bowl of milk." "Meow!" Lioness seemed to have thanked Ann as well. "You're welcome, Amy, but I didn't know you had pet cat with you." "She's not actually mine; I just met her a few days ago. She reminds me of my tomcat back home." "I see. Well, I don't think anyone in this town owns her. There are only a few people I know who own a cat here, so I think it's okay if you take her with you." "I was hoping to take her but if she wants to stay, she can. Oh, I have to go. I still have some things to do. "See you later, Amy." "See you later, Ann." Amy left the room with Lioness still following her. She left the Inn and looked at her watch, it was exactly 7 am. Suddenly, an idea dawned on her. She quickly went to Meadow Farm, hoping Karen would agree with her.

When she arrived, Amy immediately told Karen her plan: a group picnic in Rose Square in the afternoon, perhaps at 3:10. "That's a wonderful idea." Karen said. "It would be a great way to get together." She added with a wink. Amy blushed. She hadn't thought of Gray when she thought over her picnic plan. Karen smiled when she saw Amy blush; she knew Amy was falling for him. "Let's talk to the girls about it." Karen suggested. "Okay." Amy said. "What are you two talking about?" Matt came in. "Amy thought that we should have a group picnic this afternoon with the others, Matt Dear." "That's a wonderful idea, Amy." Matt agreed with Karen. "I think each of us should bring something." Karen proposed. "Well, that would be nice. Oh, look at the time, I should be going. I still have some more people to invite." Amy said as she was about to head out the door. "Oh, before I go, can I ask both of you a question?" "Of course, Amy. You can ask both of us anything" Matt reassured her. "Well, I have a letter here I want to send to Mother but I don't know how to send it." She took out the envelope from her pocket, it was still neatly flat. "Well, if Harris isn't busy, he can send it for you." "Really?" Amy looked surprised. Matt nodded. "He says he was once a mailman." He added. "Oh, well, I better go and give this to him." "I'll do it, Amy. I still have to talk to him about something." "Okay, thank you so much, Matt." Amy handed the envelope to him. "It's nothing at all, Amy." "See you later then." "Bye Amy." Karen waved. "See you later, Amy." Matt said. Amy left the house as Matt began to prepare and Karen helped him the best she could.

Amy went to Popuri's next but when she arrived, Popuri wasn't there. The only one there was Rick. "Hi Rick." "Hi Amy. How are you?" "I'm fine. Rick, are you and Popuri busy this afternoon?" "Why no, we're both free this afternoon. Mom's resting so the store's going to be closed." "Oh, I hope she gets better, why don't the two of you join me for a group picnic at Rose Square at about ten minutes past three? We will all bring something to eat." Amy said softly. "Wow! That would be great." A voice sounded behind her. She turned around to see Popuri who stood near the staircase. "So, are you both going?" Amy turned from Popuri to Rick. "We're both going." Rick said with a big smile on his face. "Great, I'll see you then." "See you then, Amy." Popuri smiled. "See you later, Amy." Rick waved in a shy way.

Amy left the Poultry Farm just as Rick and Popuri were gathering ingredients. She told Ann about the group picnic when she passed by the Inn. She then went to the library next but found that it was locked. A sign on the door read "Closed". "_That's odd. It's a Friday. The library shouldn't be closed_." "Oh Amy, Good morning." "Good morning, Anna." She smiled as Mary's mother stood outside the door to their house. "Anna, do you know were Mary is?" "Why yes, she is at Mother's Hill with Gray, why do you ask?" "I wanted to talk to her about something." Amy smiled softly. Deep down, Amy frowned as she thought of Mary and Gray alone together. "If you want to talk to her, I think the best time would be when she returns." "Alright, Goodbye Anna." "Goodbye Amy." Amy walked towards the clinic, her heart slightly pained. She was relieved to find that there were no patients around. "_What am I thinking; there are rarely any patients in the clinic and besides Gray and Mary don't love each other, do they?"_ Amy shook her head, trying to erase the thought from her mind. Elli saw Amy and smiled. "Hello Amy, is something wrong?" "Hello Elli. Oh no, there's nothing wrong. It's just that I was wondering if you and Tim were available this afternoon." "I'm available but Tim is currently at Mother's Hill for some reason. I'm worried about him. Why do you ask?" "Oh, I see. I hoped to invite both of you to the group picnic this afternoon at 3:10. Everyone who's going is bringing something to eat." "Wow, a picnic. I'm going but you should ask Tim if he is." "You're right. I'm going to Mother's Hill now. See you later, Elli." "See you later, Amy."

Amy closed the door behind her and walked towards AJA Winery. Cliff was said to be working there. When she arrived, she went into the wine cellar to find Cliff looking at the many wine bottles on each shelf. "Hi Cliff." "Oh…Hi Amy. I'm surprised to see you here. What brings you here?" Cliff was slightly blushing. "Well…I was going to ask you if you're free this afternoon." "Well, Duke said he was going to relax this afternoon so I guess I'm free." Cliff's cheeks were still red. "I was hoping you would want to go on a group picnic with me and the others at about 3:10." "That's great. I'm definitely going." "Okay, well I have to go, Cliff. See you later." "See you later, Amy." Amy left the wine cellar and thought of hiking up Mother's Hill. "_Tim would be there and maybe I'll see Mary…and Gray."_ She immediately went; her heart weighed down by the thought.

As she reached Mother's Hill, she saw Tim by the lake, he looked troubled. "Good morning, Tim." "Good morning, Amy." She stood beside him. "Elli and I were worried about you." Tim looked at her, surprised. "I didn't realize the both of you cared so much." Tim was slightly blushing. "Of course we do." Amy said, soothingly. "I was just thinking about how uneasy some of my patients are when I'm around. I don't know why they are. What do you think, Amy?" "Well…I think you should open your heart to them, Tim. It's not good to keep something bottled up especially for a long time." "You're right, Amy. Perhaps I should open up more often…I have to tell you something…" "What is it?" "Perhaps I should tell you later." "Oh, alright." There was a soothing silence as the two simply relaxed. "It's relaxing here, isn't it?" Tim spoke as he looked at the crystal clear lake. Amy nodded. "Amy, I'm glad you came here." She smiled sweetly. "I want you to have this." Tim handed her a small packaging box. "What is it?" "Open it." Amy opened the box and was surprised. There inside was a Negative Ion Item. She had heard that it was very popular in the city. It was therapeutic device that could help someone relax. It was like a pleasant walk in the mountains, some said, but she didn't think she needed one until now. "Thank you, Tim. It's a wonderful gift." "You're welcome, Amy. Well I should be going; I still have some work to do." He was heading down the path when…" Tim, wait." "Yes, what is it?" He turned around. "I was wondering if you would like to join us for a group picnic at 3:10." "I suppose I could." He said with a soft smile. "Okay, I hope you can come." Tim turned around and went down the path again. Amy ran up the mountain until she reached the peak. She saw Mary and Gray standing at the peak. She hid behind a gigantic pine tree and noiselessly watched them.

"Mary, this book you wrote is great." Gray handed her a hardbound book. "_That's odd. Mary said that no one could borrow a book from the library." Amy thought._ "Really, Gray, you think so?" "Yes, it is. I've never read a better book in my life." "Thank you, Gray." "_Gray…" _Amy looked away. "I sometimes wish I were like you, Mary." "Why is that, Gray?" "I've tried writing, but I'm not as good as you. I guess I don't have that talent." "It's ok, Gray. I was not so good too when I first started writing. It just takes practice." "I guess it does take time." "I'm happy that you're trying." She heard Mary add. Amy looked and saw Gray blush as Mary leaned on his shoulder, her lips curled up in a smile. Amy sighed, she was a writer too but she wasn't so good even though her friends told her she was good. "_I guess I could never compete with Mary. Maybe I should just give up. Mary's intelligent, nice, thoughtful and shrewd…I'm not like her…Maybe Gray and I could still be friends…Perhaps…"_ Amy wanted to weep at the thought. She couldn't believe that all her hard work was for nothing. She had asked Matt to help her; Karen even lied to him because of her. "_Gray, I love you…I always will." _A tear fell to the ground as she sobbed. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She came here for one reason alone. She left her hiding place. "Amy!" It was Gray who noticed her first. Mary stood bolt upright. "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if the two of you would like to join us for a group picnic this afternoon at 3:10." Gray noticed Amy's indifference. "We…could, I suppose." Mary said as she looked at Amy. "Oh alright, I'll be going now. Bye." "Goodbye, Amy." Mary said with finality. "Goodbye, Amy." Amy could barely hear Gray's voice.

Author's note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I was going through writer's blcock a few days ago and I couldn't connect to the Net. Anyway, you may have noticed Tim's yellow heart event. In the game, it was supposed to be in the clinic. And you have seen Gray and Mary's green heart event which triggered Amy's jealousy.


	8. The Unwanted Agony

Chapter 8: The Unwanted Agony

Amy walked down the path and away from them. "I_ shouldn't think of him anymore. There's no point in doing that."_ Amy tried to erase Gray permanently from her thoughts but her heart would not allow it. _"Why…why do I always fall for a man I know I could never ever have? First it was Paul then Alex and now Gray."_ Amy shook her head. She sat by the waterfall, trying her hardest to forget about the past. "_How I wish Gray would have noticed me sooner…what am I saying, even if he did he would have picked Mary over me. I'm such a fool. Love was never for me in the beginning. I'll never love another man again for as long as I live…My heart was broken twice already, I should have known that was enough, why did I settle for a third time? I'll never love again..."_ She felt her eyes sting as tears began to swell.

"Amy." "Matt…I…What are you doing here?" "I thought of relaxing here near Goddess Lake when I heard you crying…Is something wrong?" "No…No, there's nothing wrong. I…" "Now, now, Amy you can tell me anything." "Oh, Matt." Amy ran into his arms. "I…I have to tell you the truth…the reason I came here was partly because I wanted to see you but mostly it was because of Alex…" "Alex? Why?" Matt could already tell from his cousin's eyes what really happened between them. "He broke up with me…I wanted to take some time off from work when I found out…he fell in love with Ciara…" Amy wept. "There, there now, just cry it all out." "I couldn't believe what he told me on the phone…I wanted to leave because of it…Mother agreed to give me some time off…but I lied to you about another thing…" "What?" "When I came here, I met Gray. Do you remember the time I asked you about mining and Karen told you I needed money, she lied to you because of me…I needed ores not for the money but I wanted Gray to like me…But now I know he loves…Mary…I'm so sorry, Matt. I never wanted to hurt you…I just wanted a life of my own with a man who could love me for who I am…perhaps even have a family…I should go…I never wanted to ruin your life…" Amy ran away. "Amy, wait…" Matt watched as his cousin ran away. He sighed, he understood her pain...

It was five minutes to three and everyone was busy preparing to go to Rose Square for the picnic, everyone except Amy. When she had arrived at the Inn, she had instantly gone to her room and packed her belongings. When she had finished, it was 3 o'clock. She watched from her window as Mary, Elli, Tim and Gray walked towards Rose Square, passing the church along the way. Cliff and Ann appeared a little later and went the same way. She didn't expect to see Rick and Popuri or Karen and Matt. They would probably have gone to Rose Square through the path leading to Yodel Ranch, Barley's Ranch. She went through her bag and found her hooded sweater. She had made her decision; she was leaving Mineral Town no matter what happened. No one could change her mind, not even Gray. She put on her sweater and left her room. She left her payment on the counter, thankful that Doug wasn't around. She had left a note under it saying that there was an emergency back home. She covered her face with the hood.

Everyone was at Rose Square. There on the cobblestone floor was a big, square chequered cloth which Ann had brought as a picnic blanket. A sweet aroma filled Rose Square as the food was placed on it, everyone had thought of snacks. The girls talked of things. "Did you know….?" "No, I didn't…" "I heard…." "Yes, I heard that too…" Everyone was preoccupied by other things as they sat around the blanket with their respective partner…someone climbed up the stairs from the beach. Matt was the first to notice her, the stairs were directly in front of him. _"Ciara!"_ The guys turned around as the girls stopped talking. A young woman stood on top of the stairs, her long, shiny red-gold hair neatly touched several inches below her shoulders. She was a classic beauty, the kind you could only read about in romance novels. She wore a pink spaghetti-strap over a very short mini-skirt which did wonders to her figure. "Excuse me for interrupting…" Her voice was soft, sweet and serene. "Hello Ciara." Matt looked at her frankly as some of the other guys simply stared at her. "Matt, how wonderful to see you again!" Her voice had altered slightly. "Perhaps you could tell me where Amy is." She added, the tone of her voice had returned. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't dare tell you." Matt said matter-of-factly. "Oh…and I thought you were nice." She seemed to be seducing the other guys as she walked towards them. "Flattery doesn't get you anywhere." Matt crossed his arms, irritated.

"Flattery isn't necessary." Everyone looked at the one who spoke. It was Amy; she had her bag in her hand and the rucksack on her back. The guys watched her as she walked towards Ciara. "Why, Amy…is this anyway to welcome your friend?" "What friend!" Amy smiled as she headed for the beach. "My, my, are you still recuperating from that blow you had with your boyfriend!" Amy stopped. The guys were astonished. "I don't need you to remind me of it. It wasn't my fault that he left." "Oh, perhaps you were mistaken; he says you never had time for him." Ciara smiled as Amy turned to face her. "Then perhaps he is mistaken. We spent a lot of time together." "That wasn't what I heard. I heard that you literally stood him up on several dates because you had to do work which you brought home with you." "I didn't do it purposely. I was told to do the work and I had to do it immediately. I tried to call him but he was not home and his phone was always busy." Amy was at the brink of crying as she remembered the phone call. "Busy from calling you." Amy turned around and was about to reach the stairs when..."Oh dear, you're running away again." "I'm not running away." She cried as she half-ran towards the seashore, sobbing.

Ciara was about to follow when…a hand gripped her shoulder; she looked behind her painfully to find Matt, his eyes almost fiery with anger. "How dare you hurt my cousin! You have a lot of nerve. It was you who stole her boyfriend from her." "How dare you say that! Alex was my boyfriend before she came along." "Oh really? I called Alex just this morning and he told me on the phone that Amy was his first and only girlfriend." "What! You're lying." "No, I never lie…unlike you. Isn't that right, Alex?" A well-built, handsome young man entered the square from the cobblestone road leading to Yodel Ranch. His intelligent, amethyst eyes were fiery as his short, blond hair was swept gently by the wind. "Hello Ciara. I had known you would come here to torment Amy, so I came here to tell her the absolute truth…Unfortunately for me, you found her first, you wretched snake." His baritone voice was clear. "I wouldn't have believed that you made more lies about me if I had not been informed by Matt of how Amy was completely overwhelmed with grief this morning." He added; his white teeth visible as he grimaced. "I didn't hurt her this morning…Darling." Ciara frowned. "Oh please, don't you dare call me that, I have never loved you. I love Amy and I can't believe she left me because of a heartless, ungrateful girl like you." "Humph! Well I never!" Ciara got herself free of Matt's grip and snubbed them as she walked down the path leading to the church.

"I hope she leaves sooner than later." Matt let out a sigh of relief as he calmed down. "Thanks for coming here, Alex." "No problem, I'd do just about anything for my close friends." Alex relaxed as a smile crossed his lips. "I'm sure she won't trouble Amy so much now and I hope this will be the last time I hear her lie about me in front of Amy." "So, do you think Amy will forgive you?" Matt looked at his close friend. "Someday perhaps, it took her two whole seasons to get over Paul and forgive him. And now what's worse is that there's a fresh wound open with my name on it. It would probably take her more sometime. I'll wait but I don't know what will happen next, there's not much left of our relationship to make it last." Alex rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm just going to say that whoever marries her will be a very lucky man, perhaps the luckiest man in the world. Paul agrees with me in that perspective. She's beautiful…Well I better get going. Take care of yourself, Matt." "Yeah, take care of yourself. Are you sure you won't wait here for her?" "No, I can't. Just seeing me here will surely worsen the blow. It's best if I wait until she calms down." "I suppose you're right. Well, see you around." Matt extended his hand. Alex accepted the gesture and they shook hands. "Oh, I just remembered. Can you give this to her?" Alex handed him a blue envelope. "What's this?" "A little something she would want to read." "I thought you wanted to be secretive!" Matt raised his eyebrow as he mischievously smiled. "Well, let's just say that came with the mail." Alex laughed as Matt stifled a laugh. "?" Everyone else was confused. "Well, farewell to you all. It was a pleasure to be here." Alex bowed courteously. The girls, except for Karen, giggled as they blushed. "Well, well…now we have a charmer." Matt joked. Karen giggled. The guys looked at Alex as if he would likely steal their girls but he didn't do anything else. Alex Lance was not a man who played with women's hearts. "I should wait for the next ferry. With Amy on the beach, there's a great possibility that she would see me and I wouldn't want a confrontation with her yet. Thanks again, Matt, for telling me the truth." He immediately left without another word.

Gray stood from his spot beside Mary but Karen seemed to have read his mind as she went to the beach to try to comfort Amy, he sat down again. The four other girls gossiped. "He was Amy's boyfriend?" Mary was surprised. "I can't believe Amy left him because of that Ciara. He was extremely handsome." Popuri said. "I wonder why they fought…" Ann whispered to the girls. "Poor Amy though, she's such a nice person…I don't think she deserved what happened to her…She looked as if she was hurt very badly." Elli frowned as she thought of how nice Amy had been to everyone including her grandmother, Ellen. She was helpful, kind and friendly. "What do you think, Karen…Karen?" Ann was surprised to find that Karen was not with them. "Where did she go?" "She went to the beach." Matt had sat down again on his spot. Gray followed Karen after a few moments. "Gray, where are you going?" Mary asked. "I'm going to the beach to get some fresh air." The three other guys, Cliff, Rick and Tim, looked at him suspiciously. "What?" The guys shook their heads. Gray covered his face with the bill of his cap as he walked down the stairs. He didn't see Amy or Karen until he walked towards the pile of lumber near the water. "Amy, why don't you come and join us? You might change your mind about Gray." He heard Karen's calming voice from behind the lumber pile. He noiselessly crouched as he moved silently towards the corner of the pile. "I can't. I don't have a chance with him. He likes Mary more than me…I…I don't want to disrupt their relationship." He could hear Amy sob. "I can't love another man again…" Those words made Gray feel a sudden pang of pain in his heart as if it had been stabbed. "_What's wrong with me? Am I falling for Amy? That's impossible; she's only a friend…"_ But his heart did not agree. Perhaps…perhaps…was it possible? "So you're just going to give up without a fight?" "You don't understand. I've already learned my lesson. I've already been hurt more than once before. I don't want to be hurt again. It's too much to bear." Gray felt guilty; he understood now why Amy was so sorrowful. "There, there, Amy. Just let it all out." "I love Gray…I can't bear losing him to someone else but I want him to be happy. And if it means being with Mary, I won't stop him. " Gray was surprised. He hadn't considered Amy's feelings for him when they were together. No wonder Amy seemed indifferent that morning, she had overheard his conversation with Mary. "I have to go; I can't stay here knowing that I'll just ruin someone else's life." "Wait Amy, you could give it a second chance, you shouldn't give up." "No, I've already caused enough trouble." "If I can't change your mind, perhaps I could say that you should wait for tomorrow, the last ferry left at 2:50. You could still stay at the Inn for the night at least." "I suppose I could…" "That's better, maybe you should go to the Inn. I'll cover for you." "Thanks Karen, you're the best." Amy hugged Karen. "It's nothing, Amy. That's what friends are for." Gray heard movement as the two stood up. He slowly stood and silently started to walk, hoping to leave before they caught him…"Gray!" He turned around at the sound of Karen's voice. His eyes met Amy's. She caught her breath as she gasped and ran off. "Amy, wait." He couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. Amy hadn't heard him, she had already gone. Karen sighed. "Good timing."


	9. A Strange Realization

Chapter 9: A Strange Realization

Several hours later, Gray lay on his bed at the Inn. His cap was on his bedside table, he did not dare let anyone see him without his hat…except Amy. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall; it was 10 o'clock. He didn't need to look at the clock to know that Cliff was sleeping on the bed next to his. But what bothered him was the thought that Amy loved him. For the last couple of weeks, he had seen the other guys try to woo Amy; he had seen Cliff give her a necklace of flowers when they were at the summit of Mother's Hill a few days after her dinner _"date"_ with Cliff. He had also seen Cliff and Rick give her cookies at the Spring Thanksgiving Festival and he was sure Tim must have given her some too earlier that day. He hadn't thought of Amy so much during those times though he did feel a tinge of…jealousy…but when he had seen Amy at Mother's Hill that same night, she had kissed him, well not much…but he had felt something in his heart that he hadn't felt before. It was a strange feeling, a feeling deep inside of him: warm, comforting and trustworthy. "_Is it possible…could this be love?"_ Gray had a hard time believing such a thing. He cared for Amy, he was sure…but did he _like_ her or love her? This was a question that baffled him since that very night. The feeling inside of him told him that he _liked_ Amy but was this the feeling that would one day grow into true love? "_Maybe…"_ His heart hoped so. "_Amy is beautiful…she always made you happy and feel as if you were significant. Now that you know you mean a lot to her, what do you plan to do? Would you allow her to be taken away from you by another guy?"_ A part of his mind was saying. _"You already have Mary, she's you're inspiration for one, would you give her up just because of some strange feelings? Besides Amy's your friend, she's leaving when summer comes. There's not a chance that the two of you could be together."_ Another part debated. "_Amy…Mary? I don't know."_ Gray closed his eyes. For some reason, he needed to think this through and thoroughly. It wouldn't be easy, he knew. He cared for both of them but this strange feeling was stronger than his feelings for Mary and it grew even stronger when Amy confessed, or rather he had eavesdropped, on Amy's confession of her love for him. He thought of this for some time. When he opened his eyes, he finally had decided. He got out of bed noiselessly and slowly went out of the room.

He walked down the corridor to Amy's room and was relieved to find that there was still some light in the room. He knocked. "Amy." "Gray?" He heard her voice from the other side. "May I come in?" "…Yes." Gray turned the knob and was surprised to find Amy sitting on her bed, wearing her matching pink pajamas. The light from the bedside lamp cast a somewhat yellow orange glow on her. She looked particularly radiant. In her hand was the letter Alex had asked Matt to give to her while the blue envelope he noticed was on the bedside table. A yellow cat with orange stripes was curled up near her legs; it looked like it was sleeping because its eyes were closed. Amy's bag and rucksack were on the corner nearest her bed. "Gray?" He looked at her and saw that her eyes were slightly pinkish. She had folded the letter neatly and had placed it near the envelope. "Is something wrong?" Relax, he told himself as he felt his body tense. "Wrong? No. It's just that I wanted to tell you something." "What is it?" "May I sit down first?" Amy nodded, patting the bed. He sat down next to her, the only thing that came between them was the cat. He hoped that from this distance he would not make Amy feel uneasy while he was sure she could say that they were friends. He hoped they could be more than that. "Amy, I'm sorry…" Amy looked down though her eyes were looking away. He knew that she still remembered the incident visibly. "I'm so sorry to have hurt you. I…" He couldn't think of the words but he noticed that Amy was now looking at him, he was relieved. "I didn't know that you cared for me that way." "I was afraid things would change between us if I told you." Amy spoke at last. "It would have…for the better." He took her hands in his and kissed them. She caught her breath. "You mean?" "I like you, Amy, very much and I'm sure that perhaps I would grow to love you sooner than later." "Gray…But what about Mary?" "I like you more than I like her, Amy. Mary would understand." "Gray…I…" He saw her cheeks flush which made her look more beautiful. Lioness opened her eyes and understood what was going on as she gingerly moved towards a pillow on the other side of the bed. Amy slowly inched closer to him. "Gray, I love you so much and I want to make you happy." She was surprised when Gray held her in his arms. She looked into his eyes, they looked as blue as the sky even though the lamplight cast an orange glow on them. "I love you, Amy." He was surprised to hear himself say those words as they had slipped from his mouth. She leaned towards him. He was astonished although he too leaned closer. Amy felt wonderful as his lips, his soft, succulent lips, met with hers for the first time. Gray was astounded by the realization of his feelings for Amy as he knew one thing was for sure: the moment their lips met, his feelings for Amy grew even more. Both of them didn't want the moment to end but when Gray parted his lips and looked at the clock on the wall, he knew it was time for him to go. It was already half past ten. "Amy, I think I have to go." "So soon?" Gray nodded. "Alright. Good night, Sweetheart." "Good night, Sweetheart." The words seemed to suit him as he kissed her goodnight. She accompanied him to the door and he simply kissed her on the cheek before he went back to the room he and Cliff shared.

Amy watched him go before she returned inside and snuggled into bed beside Lioness, the letter completely forgotten. But before going to sleep, she reached for her diary and pen. She flipped through the pages until she came upon a blank page next to her last entry and started writing...

_Spring 15, 10:32 pm, Friday_

_I had mixed emotions today. This morning, I felt unhappy and jealous because I had seen Gray together with Mary. It brought back painful memories of my past relationship with Alex. Gray also overheard me confess to Karen about my love for him. I had received a letter from Alex today, Matt had said it had come with the mail. As I read the letter, I understood why everything that happened between us went wrong. It was Ciara all along. She was lying about everything: She was the one who had made all those letters I received about Alex being with other women. She had also sent letters to Alex about me being with other men. Alex called me because of it, saying that he didn't love me because I was unfaithful and that it probably was only infatuation since the beginning. I forgive him and though I still feel pain, I would like us to be friends. Tonight, I feel as if I'm in heaven. Gray had come into my room to ask forgiveness and I had accepted his apology. He had also confessed his feelings for me and I was so happy when he heard him say those three words: I love you. We had kissed for the first time just a few minutes ago and he had kissed me goodnight too. I was thrilled to hear him call me Sweetheart. I can't believe how my life has changed…and I'm sure it's getting better. I hope to be with Gray forever…_

_-Amy_

Amy put her diary and pen back. She closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep, a sweet smile on her face which made her dimples show.

Amy smiled as she remembered dreaming about Gray the next morning. She had already bathed and dressed that morning. Her hair was still slightly damp. She was still soaring above the clouds…She went outside, followed closely by Lioness whose coat shone brighter than she had ever seen her. But unlike Lioness, Amy didn't feel so pretty. She was wearing simple clothes: a lilac top over jeans and her boots. She worried what Gray would say when he saw her. "_I have to wear something nice for a change."_ She went back to her room; Lioness was surprised that her mistress had gone back. Amy took of her watch and looked through her wardrobe, she had mostly shirts and jeans but she found a few dresses and thought of choosing among them. She looked all five of them over and decided on wearing a lilac cotton dress which though the skirt was slightly loose, it accentuated her figure more than her other clothes. She knew this wasn't the kind of clothes she usually wore unless she was at work at times but she wanted to please him. She looked at Lioness, who looked at her with a curious expression on her face. "What?" Lioness acted like her reprimanding mother as her golden eyes seemed to say "_Is that what you want to look like? You look like a "showgirl"."_ Her mother always called women who wore clothing which showed more than was necessary showgirls. She hated such women. _"_Mothers know best_."_ She mimicked her mother. "Lioness, please stop looking at me like that, I came here to relax not to be scrutinized by criticizing eyes." Lioness looked away but her eyes still looked at her strangely. "Thank you." Amy combed her hair again, hoping that it would look shiny. She searched through her rucksack and found her make-up kit: lip gloss, mascara, foundation, powder as well as eye shadow. She applied a little lip gloss on her lips as well as powder. She knew she shouldn't and she didn't dare wear her boots with her dress so she took out her pair of white, heeled sandals. She knew it wasn't much but, at least, it was better than wearing her boots. She left the room just in time to see Gray leaving his room. "Amy, Sweetheart, Good morning…" Gray was surprised to see her. "Wow, you look…stunning." "…Thank you, Honey." Amy knew her cheeks were blushing. He moved towards her and tilted her chin. He kissed her tenderly. "_Wow!"_ Amy felt as if she were back in heaven again. She felt his arms wrap around her. When they parted, Gray knew he truly loved her.

During the day, the other guys were looking at Amy differently. Gray noted that their feelings for her also grew even more as they tried to woo her again. But he didn't mind, he knew Amy loved him more than any of them. Saibara noticed a great change in his grandson as he worked. He seemed to be inspired even more but his mind was not on work. He couldn't tell what caused this but it was a strange change. Suddenly, he heard the door open. Amy appeared at the door, he could tell that she looked different. "Good morning, Amy." "Good morning, Saibara." Amy thought of Gray. "Amy, I'm very happy to see that you and Gray are getting along well together." Saibara interrupted her thoughts. Amy simply smiled. "Gray, come out here, someone's here to see you." Gray appeared from what looked like the forging room. "Hello, Amy." He smiled. "Hi, Gray." They looked at each other affectionately. Saibara noticed the way the two looked at each other and nodded his approval. In his opinion, Amy was better for his grandson than Mary. "Gray, I think you should take the day off." "What?" Gray was shocked. "I think you should take the day off." "Why?" This time, Gray looked relieved. "Well, your mind's not on your work and it seems your interest is somewhere else." Saibara looked at Amy. Her cheeks flushed. Gray looked at her too. _"Oh_ _Goddess, she looks beautiful."_ "Amy, why don't you spend the day with Gray?" "Okay."

The two of them left the blacksmith's shop. When they were in town, they only talked but when they reached the path leading to the Hot Springs and the path leading up Mother's Hill. They hiked or rather walked up Mother's Hill, holding each other's hand. Gray gave her fresh flowers; she was touched by his gesture. They sat near the summit of Mother's Hill, looking at the beautiful view. Amy was in his arms as her head was on his chest, the flowers in her hands. "Amy, I promise I would never hurt you." They looked into each other's eyes. At times, he cuddled her or nuzzled her neck gently. Amy giggled, he was tickling her. This was heaven for both of them. They went to the Inn for lunch which surprised Duke, Manna and Cliff, who were seated at another table. Cliff was the most surprised; he knew that he was the closest of all the other guys to falling for Amy but seeing her with Gray made him jealous. Ann also noticed but unlike Cliff, she was very happy for Amy. The way Amy and Gray looked at each other told Ann of their love for each other. Neither Amy nor Gray noticed that the others were watching them as they simply enjoyed being together. They ate lunch as they talked and laughed. As the day wore on, they simply spent it strolling on the beach, hand in hand, watching the sun set. When the sky turned dark, they returned to the Inn and stayed in the corridor outside of her room. "Gray, thank you. I had a wonderful time." "I should thank you, Amy. I haven't had such a great time for weeks." "Well…I'm thankful we spent the day together." Amy blushed. "Me too." "I'm sorry that Grandpa acted weirdly though." "It's okay." "Amy…" "?" Amy looked at him lovingly. "I want to ask you something." "What is it?" Gray scanned the corridor then looked at the door to his room. He had a feeling Cliff was eavesdropping for some reason. "Can we talk inside?" "Of course, if you want to." They entered her room. Lioness was curled up in bed. "Honey, what is it?" Amy closed the door behind her gently. "Amy Sweetheart, do you want to stay here?" "Yes, with all my heart." Gray smiled sweetly. Amy thought he looked exceptionally handsome, he wasn't wearing his cap. He held her in his arms. "I'm thankful you're staying. I'd miss you so much if you leave. I want you to stay here forever. I love you." "Gray Sweetheart, I…" "What is it, Sweetheart?" "I…I love you too and I want to stay but I'm not sure I can." Gray was stunned. "Why?" "I have to go to work and…" "And what?" She didn't say anything when she noticed that he was upset. She thought of the reasons why. "_I don't think Mother would agree with me." "I have to go back to the city; I don't think Paul would agree to take shots of me here." "Ciara would be able to take my place as Top Girl."_ She knew he wouldn't understand her reasons and to her, they also seemed sort of silly. "…I can't leave my mother alone by herself too long. She's not as well as she used to be." The words slid from her mouth without her thinking them over thoroughly, it wasn't exactly the truth, her mother was healthy and she knew she would always be, but she couldn't think of another reason. "I see." Gray turned towards the door. "I hope she gets better soon." He said without even turning to face her. "Goodnight, Amy." He left the room without another word, closing the door behind him. _"Gray…I'm so sorry. It's just too sudden..."_ Amy wanted to cry. It had just been yesterday that she and Gray had thought about seeing each other. And now, he was gone. Amy knelt down as tears flowed freely from her eyes…She knew then that there was little hope that they would be together again…

Author's Note: It's sad to think that Gray and Amy just spent time, a day,together and then their relationship just ended. What will happen next? Check the next chapter. )


	10. A Suprise

Chapter 10: A Surprise

Gray was standing by the window, leaning on the window sill. "_I don't understand; why did she have to lie to me?"_ He knew that Amy was somehow lying about her mother's health. He had heard that she had gone back to the city yesterday morning. He had wished she didn't. It was Spring the 18th, the day of the local Spring Horse Races. He thought of not going to the festival again, he wanted time to understand why things had gone the way they had. But it wasn't possible, Matt had invited him to the festival yesterday and he didn't want to disappoint his close friend because of it. Matt had said that he was sure Gray would enjoy it. He wasn't sure about that. He had wanted to go with Amy but now that she was gone, he felt empty and his work was almost void of meaning. He wasn't able to concentrate on anything else but Amy. He looked at the clock on the wall; it was a half past nine. He knew the others were preparing to go to Rose Square already but he didn't feel like going even if Matt had invited him. He knew he would feel like a stranger if he went and didn't enjoy himself, everyone else would be surprised to see him there too. That was why he avoided going to most of the festivals except the Fireworks Festival, the Sheep festival and New Year's Eve. He also spent the Moon Festival on Mother's Hill, sometimes.

Absent-mindedly, he ran his hand through his hair. Things were different now, he was sure of that fact. Before Amy came into his life, he was most of the time an anti-social kind of person. He didn't have a lot of friends but he was content with that, he mainly only spent time either at work, at the library with Mary, at the summit of Mother's Hill alone or in this room. He had once believed that he was better off alone, he could always think clearly that way. But now, he couldn't think clearly, his mind always drifted elsewhere, to Amy. Questions always popped into his head, what is she doing now? Is she with someone? Or is she alone? Is she happy? He was constantly worried about her. They enjoyed being together. He began to smile again because of her. "_What went wrong?"_ He played the events over in his mind. Everything had been fine until he had asked her to stay. She was hesitant for some reason. "_Why did she hesitate? She seemed so happy that day."_ A thought dawned on Gray. Perhaps Amy had a good reason for hesitating. But what? She hadn't been truly honest about her reasons. If she was worried about her work, she could find work here too. He almost always knew that some of the townspeople needed a helping hand or two especially Duke, who needed help harvesting the grapes in his orchard during the Fall season. And he was sure that she had partly lied about her mother. He sighed, she must have a good reason for it too and he had a feeling the reason was the same reason why she hesitated. He looked at the clock, a habit he had almost gotten used to, and realized that it was 9:50. He sighed. "_I better go if I want to watch the races."_ He knew now that he would never know why Amy was hesitant, she was gone. He left the Inn and began the slow trudge towards Rose Square.

Rose Square looked like a mixture of a horse track/stadium. The track was a long, oblong one and there was a grassy area in the middle where a tent that served as a stable for the horses stood. The whole track was fenced with sturdy, brown wooden planks. It looked like a stadium because of the bleachers surrounding the track. Several people were already seated on them; some of them were people Gray couldn't recognize. "_They're probably from other towns."_ He looked around for familiar faces. He saw Ann, Popuri and Karen but Mary wasn't around. He sighed and looked around again. He saw most of the men in town: Doug, Duke, Jeff, Harris and Mayor Thomas. Then he spotted Matt and the other guys standing at the top floor of the bleachers, which looked wide enough to hold a lot of people. Matt was looking down at the track, he had a good view of it as his arms rested on the steel fences which enclosed the place the guys were standing on, leaving only a gap for the steel gate. He thought about not going up there but he couldn't back out now. He was already here. He noticed Barley looking over the horses as May, his little granddaughter, trotted behind him as if she were learning from him. Gray went up the stairs leading to the top floor where the guys were but he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hi Gray, how are you?" He swallowed hard and looked behind him, it was Mary. "Hello Mary, I'm fine. How about you, how are you?" "I'm okay. I'm surprised to see you here, I just haven't seen you in the library lately." "I was just busy these past couple of days." "With Amy?" He caught his breath. Mary looked at him curiously through her black, oval eyeglasses. He finally nodded; he couldn't lie to her even if he tried. The only time he wasn't with Amy the past few days was yesterday though he thought of her on a daily basis. "I see, anyway, why don't you sit beside me? I don't think my parents would mind us sitting together." Gray thought over this, he knew her parents sort of like him, granted, but it wouldn't be fair if someone saw him with Mary and if Amy returned, he/she, possibly she, would tell her about it. It would surely break Amy's heart to know that he had spent time with Mary while she was away. He thought of Karen, who had a great vantage point from where she was sitting or Ann who was beside her. Those two were Amy's closest best friends though she considered all the girls in town her best friends. "_Amy wouldn't mind, perhaps, she's already gone anyway." "Yeah, besides you still like Mary don't you?" _The part of his mind that chose Mary tried to coax him. "Okay, I guess." He gave in. "Great, come on." Mary led him to their seats. Cliff had seen them sit down. The first race was starting. The six horses, as he could remember reading on the board a few moments before, were 1:Ross, 2:Goldstar, 3:Bronze night, 4:Sunny Day, 5: Rain and 6: Griever. The announcer described the race as the crowd cheered for the horse they had betted on. "And there's Ross, half way to the finish life." "Go Ross." "He's overtaken by Goldstar." "Keep it up, Goldstar." "Goldstar is way ahead of Ross but wait, Bronze knight is picking up speed." "Come on, Bronze knight." "Goldstar and Bronze knight are neck and neck, who will win, Ladies and Gentleman?" "Goldstar is way behind Bronze knight." "Bronze knight's crossed the finish line." The crowd cheered for the winner. Gray's mind was elsewhere as the next race went on until...the third race was about to begin. "Hey, you two." Gray looked up to see Matt about to sit down beside him. "Hi, Matt." He said before scanning the track. "Hello, Matt, aren't you supposed to race right about now?" Matt shook his head. "No, someone else is riding Skyracer." "Can you trust him?" Mary looked at Matt in surprise. "Yeah, I can. Skyracer agrees with me. He likes having the guy on his back." "I hope he doesn't get hurt." "Ladies and Gentleman, the reining champion Skyracer is racing today and it looks as though he has a new jockey." The crowd watched as a lean, young man mounted Skyracer. No one could see his face as he wore a helmet over his head but Gray noticed that the guy was looking in his direction, perhaps at him. They were slightly tensed as Skyracer trotted to his place. The gun was fired. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Skyracer is way ahead of his competition." Gray watched as the guy rode expertly. "_He's good."_ "His new rider must be a professional." Mary commented. "Not exactly." Matt said. "Skyracer is nearing the finish line but wait Star Rider is picking up speed and is gaining on Skyracer." Matt watched, amazed and amused at the same time. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Skyracer seems to be giving it his all and…he's crossed the finish line. He is still reining champion."

The townspeople cheered even Barley couldn't help applauding Skyracer as well as the young man who had expertly ridden him. As the young man dismounted, the townspeople surrounded him. "Young Man, please remove your helmet." Mayor Thomas asked. The young man took it off and everyone was surprised to see long, golden hair flow freely from it. Mayor Thomas was surprised to see stunning, sapphire blue eyes as a smile crossed the jockey's lips. The guys were taken aback. "Of course, Mayor Thomas." The new jockey, who everyone thought was a guy, was actually Amy. "Amy, I thought you left." Mayor Thomas said after he had recovered somewhat. "I didn't want to miss the races. Didn't I, big guy?" Amy stroked Skyracer's neck. He whinnied as he stomped the ground with his hoof. "But how were you able to sign up?" Barley asked. "I can answer that question." The townspeople looked at Matt, who had just joined them. Mary and Gray had also followed Matt. Amy was somewhat hurt to know that they were together; she had seen them at the beginning of the race. Skyracer nudged her as if he were trying to console her. "Amy took my place as the jockey today because I had exhausted myself yesterday; I had to harvest so much produce that by the time I was done, I was almost completely fatigued. I called Amy and asked her if she would like to fill in for me. She happily agreed and I signed up for her, using Andrew as her name because I was sure that there hadn't been a girl jockey and that no one would recognize her as a girl. She arrived here on the first ferry this morning, which as I recall is at 6 o'clock and she stayed at the farm for the next few hours." The townspeople looked at each other as Mayor Thomas and Barley nodded in agreement. The other guys were awed by Amy's dexterity. Gray though was guilty; he had seen Amy and he knew that she had seen him with Mary.

When the townspeople had left, Gray found that he was alone with Amy. "Amy?" Amy looked away from him. He moved closer to her and was not surprised to hear her sob; she didn't even look at him. He knew this was not a good sign. "Gray, why? Why were you with her?" "I'm so sorry, Amy. I didn't mean to hurt you." "I shouldn't have come back. I should have just stayed home. I wouldn't have been hurt if I did." "Amy, I…" He didn't know what to say. He had regretted being with Mary that day. He was thankful to see Amy but he felt miserable, knowing that he had hurt her. "You don't have to say anything, Gray. I know now that we could never be together." Amy was about to leave when…she felt his arms wrap around her from behind. "Sweetheart, I don't love her. I love you." "I…Gray, please don't, I don't know if we can still be together after what I saw..." She escaped his hold. "Amy, please give me a second chance. I promise I would never hurt you again." He took her hands in his. "I…" Fresh tears swelled from her eyes. He wiped them away. "Please." He tilted her chin so that their eyes met. She could see in his eyes that he meant every word. She finally nodded, unable to think of any other reason to be angry with him. "I'm sorry too, I half-lied to you the day before. I didn't mean to, I just couldn't tell you why I couldn't stay." "Shh. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm sorry too that I had asked you to stay, I was being selfish. I didn't think of how you would react to it." "Shh." Amy kissed him tenderly. He held her closer. They went back to the Inn, she was holding his arm. They arrived outside her room. "Goodnight, Sweetheart." He whispered gently to her ear. "Goodnight, Sweetheart." She kissed him lightly on the cheek before he went to his room.

"So how was it?" Gray was surprised to see Cliff standing by the window, looking out into the night. "What?" "You're time with Amy." "Why does it matter to you?" Gray sat on his bed. Cliff turned to face him. "It matters to me because I love her." "She doesn't love you." "How do you know?" "She loves me." "I don't think so. She doesn't love you either." "What do you mean?" "I mean this." Cliff reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, Gray could tell that it was Amy's handwriting. He felt a stab at his heart; he could unquestionably read the two words scribbled on it. _Dear Henry_…"Ann gave this to me just this morning; she said it fell from Amy's diary when she was cleaning Amy's room." "Ann should have left it in her room." Gray spoke through gritted teeth. His hands were clenched into fists. "I can't believe it." Gray shut his eyes, unable to believe it was true. "Me neither. But with this, it's evident that she has someone else in mind." Cliff placed the letter on the table and left the room. Gray looked at the dreaded envelope; he knew there would be a letter inside, a love letter. He couldn't take it anymore. He took the letter and left, heading towards Amy's room. But as he reached the door, he stopped. He looked at the letter in his hand. _"Amy must have a good explanation for this."_ He looked at the handwriting again, he was sure it was Amy's but who was Henry? He knocked at the door as he gradually calmed himself. "Amy Sweetheart." "Yes, Honey?" "May I come in?" "Of course, Honey." Gray took off his cap and opened the door. He caught his breath when he saw Amy drying her hair with a towel; she was wearing yellow-orange pajamas. She was breathtakingly beautiful. "What is it, Honey? Is something wrong?" He shook his head. Amy saw a glimpse of the letter in his hand. "Sweetheart, what's that in your hand?" Gray looked at the letter. "It's a letter Sweetheart, Ann found it on the floor when she was cleaning in here, and she thought it must be yours but she couldn't leave it here so…she told me to give it to you." He handed her the letter. "Oh, it's the letter I was writing to Papa. Thank you for returning it, Honey" Amy smiled sweetly, showing her dimples, before she kissed him on the cheek. "You're Father?" Amy nodded. Gray almost gave a sigh of relief. "I wanted to tell him that I was okay. He called me on my phone but I was too busy to notice it." Amy was surprised when Gray kissed her passionately. "Honey, I…" She blushed. "Sweetheart, you don't know how happy I am that you came back." "You are?" Gray nodded. "I thought I lost you and that you were gone forever. I thought of you constantly every second of the day." "Oh, Honey…" Amy was touched. She felt his arms wrap around her. They sat down on her bed. Lioness was nowhere to be seen. He cuddled her, and she giggled as he gently kissed her neck. It tickled her. "Oh Honey…I'm so thankful that I came back. I haven't felt so happy since our date." She leaned her head on his chest. "Me too." He kissed her forehead.

Author's note: As you've noticed, I've added all the other chapters in one day, why? When I couldn't connect to the Net, I just continued the story for the next few chapters. I'm still working on Chapter 11 but it may take awhile to finish. (I'm going through writer's block, just kidding). Anyway, it's sweet to know Amy and Gray are back together.


	11. The Seducer And The Rival

Chapter 11: The Seducer And The Rival

Amy was taking her usual visits around the town, Matt had told her to enjoy herself for the next few days though she wanted to help him farm, when she saw Ciara come out from the clinic and head to the Inn or rather she took the road leading to the Inn. She, Ciara, was wearing her usual showy and, in her own opinion, sexy clothes. "_Ciara in the clinic?"_ She knew Ciara had never been sick like her and Ciara wasn't fond of mostly anything…but she knew Ciara's favorites…_guys_. "_So she's trying to seduce Tim, is she? I think it won't happen, Tim hates "showgirls"."_ She went into the clinic to find Elli looking upset. "Elli, what's wrong?" "It's that little snake." Amy knew who Elli was referring to when she heard the word "snake". "What did she do?" "She told me to buzz off when I told her Tim has someone else in mind. Then she went into his office and I heard her try to seduce him with certain promises. I was thankful Tim did not fall for her." Amy was disgusted by Ciara's actions; she knew Ciara had done the same thing to Alex before she and Alex had gone out. "We'll just have to make sure that she doesn't do it again." Elli nodded. "I won't let her do it again. The next time I see her come in here; I might kick her out." They giggled at the thought. "What are you two talking about?" Tim was standing by the opening of the curtain divider leading to his office. "Nothing, Tim." Elli smiled. Amy saw Tim look at her, she simply smiled. She looked at her watch. "Well I have to go, Bye." "Bye, Amy." Elli waved. "Goodbye, Amy." Amy left the clinic, but as she was walking down the road to the library, she hid behind the tree beside the clinic just as Rick and Ciara passed by, Ciara was holding Rick's arm and Rick was looking at heraffectionately. "_Rick and Ciara? What is she up to?"_ She didn't follow them; instead she took the road to a fork in the road and took the left road as she headed to Rose Square, hoping that Gray was still there.

"Amy Sweetheart, are you sure Rick's infatuated with her?" Gray couldn't believe Rick would fall for Ciara after what happened at the picnic as Amy told him everything. They were sitting on one of the benches in Rose Square. Amy nodded, she was positive that the look Rick gave her was affectionate. "He looked at her affectionately. Whatever it was she had done to seduce him, he was caught in it like a fish caught by a fisherman." "That snake could poison him." Gray was sickened by Ciara's seducing actions. "I agree, she may have the grace of a cat but she has the fatal venom of a snake. I'm worried…" "About what…" "About you and what she would do." His arms held her close. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. She would never steal my heart away; you're the only one who can do that." Amy felt relieved and touched to hear him say those words. He kissed her neck lightly, knowing that it would tickle her. He was right as he heard her giggle. "Oh Honey, that tickles." "I just love to hear you giggle at a time like this, but I want to hear you laugh too." "That won't happen." She teased. "How are you sure?" He kissed her neck again and again, this time the kisses were longer. Amy couldn't resist laughing. He laughed. "See, it did happen." Amy kissed him on the cheek. Suddenly, from the corner of their eyes, they saw Ciara walking, this time she was with Cliff. He was looking at her romantically. "Now I've seen everything." Gray said softly as they watched Ciara kiss Cliff. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes." Amy nodded in agreement; she thought Cliff was not the kind of guy who would be attracted to girls like Ciara, "showgirls". "I can't believe this is happening. First it was Tim, then Rick and now Cliff." Gray looked at Amy, who spoke in a hushed tone, she looked at him. "She must be quite a charming snake but all she needs is a snake charmer." Amy thought that was almost impossible. Every man Ciara knew, met, men who just saw her or even just caught a glimpse of her had fallen for her except for four of them: Matt, Paul, her first boyfriend, Alex and Gray, and she hadn't seen Ciara fall or known if she had fallen for any of them. Amy felt sorry for those men; most of them were fooled by Ciara's charisma and her "sexiness". "She isn't beautiful when a person knows her true colors." She whispered. Gray smiled at the thought then looked at Amy once again. He considered her to be the most beautiful woman in the world. He thought of what she would say if…No, it was still too soon. They needed a little more time together. Ciara and Cliff were still there, Gray noticed. Cliff seemed to be whispering things to her as he leaned over and Ciara, the snake, simply giggled. He wouldn't let her hurt Amy and he was sure he would never fall for a woman like her unlike the other guys. "Perhaps we should go; I don't think those two would be leaving anytime soon." Amy agreed.

As Amy and Gray headed towards the Inn, Ciara immediately caught sight of Gray. Suddenly, she felt something inside of her, a feeling she could not comprehend. Her heart skipped a beat. The other guys around here were good enough, she supposed, but Amy, Miss Top Girl Amy, Lady Amethyst, had caught herself a hunk. "_Amy doesn't deserve him, what does he see in her? She's not like me. I'm far more beautiful and far cleverer than her, she's so simple. I don't even know why she was top of our class at school and then when she went to college, she was still top. I can't believe Alex even had the nerve to ask her out as well as say he loved her even though I was the first to meet him. I was the one who impressed him first; she's the hunk stealing vixen. And Alex even dared call me a snake, a heartless, ungrateful girl. What rubbish had she been feeding him? I'm not the heartless, ungrateful girl, she is. I gave her some advice on men, she wouldn't take them and she stole Alex from me. He couldn't even see the truth, she had blinded him."_ Ciara thought as she simply let Cliff kiss her neck, he was just like all the others. She made it a goal to make Amy's new hunk as her own. She wanted Amy to suffer. This was her way of making Amy pay for the misery she had caused. "_I won't let her take another hunk away from me especially that sexy hunk."_

Gray had gone to the blacksmith's shop after accompanying Amy to the Inn. It was strange to know that the three guys were sort of captivated by Ciara but though he wasn't sure about Tim and Rick, he was sure Cliff was. He believed Amy. "_I don't know what they see in that snake. Alex was right about her."_ He was slowly working on something new: a charm bracelet. He was thankful Matt had given him some rubies a year ago. He had saved them for later use but he had thought of making Amy a bracelet using them as charms. He worked steadily, knowing that one mistake could mean failure. He stopped once in while, making sure that Saibara wouldn't see him. He almost laughed at the thought. He had never had the courage to do such things if he hadn't met Amy. "Oh, Welcome? Do you need anything?" He heard his grandpa say. "Yes, I would like to have a brooch made." "_That voice, no, it can't be her."_ The image of Ciara came to mind. "Of course, you'll need an orichalcum ore and 1000 G. It would take about three days to make it." Gray heard her hand the ore as well as the money to Saibara. He knew he had to work fast but he couldn't, it would certainly cause him to destroy his creation. He only hoped that his grandpa wouldn't think of going to the forging room just yet. He was almost finished. He heard the door close and was thankful that Saibara hadn't called him yet. Before long, he had finished the bracelet. He wrapped it in cloth as he had done with the brooch he had given her and placed it in his pocket. "Gray." He sighed with relief, knowing that Saibara would not know anything about his secret works. He left the forging room. "A young lady came by awhile ago and she wanted a brooch to be made for her." "Gramps, did she have red-gold hair?" "Yes, she did." Gray's intuition was right. She had been here. Saibara handed him the ore. "Now, get to work, I don't want your mind to wander again. It is useless to let it happen when you work." Gray sighed, things hadn't changed.

Amy was unsure what to think, she had never believed that the guys would fall for Ciara. She was somewhat thankful that Gray hadn't but somehow, she had an uneasy feeling about how things were turning out to be. She knew her mother was okay but what about her father and especially little Max…she hadn't seen her little brother in awhile even though she had gone home. She missed him because he was her half-brother. Stu and May reminded her of Max, they were energetic, playful and caring. _"I hope he's okay. I hope they're okay."_ She absentmindedly stroked Lioness, who purred with delight. She placed Lioness down and left the room, hoping to take a hike to think things through.

Amy carefully hiked up the mountain. She knew Ciara was up to something but she didn't know what. She was sure it was to challenge her, to make her upset as Ciara always did. They had been rivals since they met when they were just girls. They competed to see who would get the best grades in all the subjects when they were in school, the best athlete in all the sports they had to undergo in P.E., the best dressed at dances and parties, the most popular girl and now they competed for the Top Girl spot, all of them Ciara's idea of competition. Amy always did her best, Ciara didn't have to. Amy always won, she knew Ciara also acknowledged it, yet she didn't idle around, Ciara would take her place, a bitter insight of the truth. She had changed from the popular girl at school to a sophisticated young lady; she was going to turn seventeen that year and she had already graduated at the top of her class, Ciara was second. Her mother hoped that she would stay in the business but Amy did not always fond of it. She hated the publicity. She had no privacy in the city and she was thankful no one really knew her here in town. A peaceful town like this would make her happy for as long as she lived but she couldn't leave her work just yet as long as her mother wanted her to stay. She knew it would upset her mother and she didn't want to hurt her. The branches swayed as a soft wind blew. It gently swept her long, golden hair. Then she remembered the pain Ciara had caused when they were still in school. She felt tears running down her cheeks. It was just too painful…

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. You now know that Amy and Ciara are rivals and that both have somehow suffered because of the other. What would happen next? Find out in Chapter 12. :)


	12. The Living Legend

Chapter 12: The Living Legend

Gray strolled along the seashore; it had been a few days since the unpleasant incident at Rose Square. He had noticed that none of the guys could tell that Ciara was dating all three of them. It was Spring the 22nd, the Cooking Festival and he had told Amy about it yesterday. She was delighted to hear about the festival and she wanted to enter. Doug and Ann had given her permission to use the kitchen at the Inn. Gray smiled. He hoped Amy would do her very best. It was going to be a great day. He walked up the stairs. Rose Square was decorated with a few long, rectangular tables. Square-shaped, chequered tablecloths of different colors were placed on top of them. Mayor Thomas was supervising the decorations and Gray saw the Gourmet Judge, an overweight man with a tongue so sensitive he could tell what was wrong with a certain dish. He was wearing a big, purple suit with a tiny purple top hat on his head. Gray couldn't help wondering how a man like the Gourmet Judge could possibly live without suffering from a certain sickness. He shrugged, knowing that he could never and would never be able to answer his own question. Suddenly, the church bells rang. It almost always did when an hour had passed. Gray guessed that it was about 10 o'clock. He sat on a bench as people began to arrive. He saw Manna and Duke, Anna and Basil, Sasha and Jeff, Lillia, Popuri, Rick, Elli and Tim, Ann and Doug, Karen and Matt, Pastor Carter, Mary, May and Stu. But what really caught his eyes were Amy who came at the same time as Ciara, who was still wearing her kind of clothes. He remembered that Ciara had gone to the shop yesterday to get her brooch, which was already finished by the time she arrived.

All of the contestants placed their dishes on the long tables, Doug being the only man among them as usual. Gray was surprised to see that Ciara had entered as well. The Gourmet Judge went through the cuisines one by one as each of the contestants waited for his comments. First was Manna…"Um, the flavor is rich and very good." Then he moved on to Anna…"It is a delicate dish yet very good, I must say." Then Lillia…"The ingredients have been mixed well for they create a wonderful taste." Then Ann…"Superb, this dish is a masterpiece. Well done." Then Doug…"This dish is first-rate; I must say that it has incredible flavor." Then Karen…"I must say this is an extraordinary dish, I would have to take some more time to analyze it." By the time the Gourmet Judge moved on, only Amy and Ciara were left. He started with Ciara's. "Good Goddess, this dish is one of the most excellent I've ever tasted. It has exceptional taste and would leave any mouth watering for more." Amy was nervous, she wasn't sure whether the Gourmet Judge would like her dish or not. It was something her mother had thought her and she was sure it did not taste as good as mother's. When he finally moved to her dish, she waited uneasily for his comment. His comment on the other hand puzzled her…"Amy, where did you learn to cook this dish?" She expected the worst. "F…From my mother. Why?" Amy looked at him inquisitively. "Because I only know of one person who could cook such a dish…May Winthor, the cooking mistress or rather the Lady of Cooking herself." "You know my mother?" "You are her daughter? It is not surprising that you have her skill. I say she is at the very top when it comes to cooking. Why if she had cooking school, she would be the greatest teacher." Everyone was surprised by the Gourmet Judge's words except Matt and Amy, who had known about it for some time. "I can say that this dish you made has won, Amy." The Gourmet Judge continued. "Thank you." Amy said shyly. Everyone felt happy for her except Ciara, who was again infuriated by her rival's victory. She stormed as she left Rose Square. Amy had seen her leave yet she saw all the other contestants line up facing Mayor Thomas and the Gourmet Judge, leaving their places. She went to join them. "The Gourmet Judge has decided: the winner of this year's Cooking Festival is Amy." Everyone smiled even the Gourmet Judge. Gray couldn't help feeling happy for Amy. He knew just then that her mother was known as a cooking legend in the city even the Gourmet Judge said so. The festival was over and everyone had cleaned up and left. Amy held his arm as they walked back to the Inn.

May Winthor sat in her lounge, perusing through the articles on each of the magazines surrounding her... Each one had a picture of her daughter on the cover. A proud smile touched her still stunning face. She had always known that Amy would become famous although her daughter would not admit it. "_She was once so unconscious of her looks…But look at her now, Cover Girl for most, if not all, of the most famous magazines. Just like I had been…But…"_ May was worried, Amy had written to her about a boy she liked yet she hadn't given any more information about him. She worried that such a boy would ruin her daughter's career. She knew from Henry's father, Hector, about the people living in Mineral Town. The thought of her daughter living in such a place with a young man she was infatuated with worried her. She knew Amy would not be able to live the life she had hoped for her. She knew what was best for her daughter as any mother should and would always know. "_I allow her to visit Henry and his little son, Max was it? But I won't allow her to live in such a town with a young man I have not met."_ "Lady Rose." A voice broke through her thoughts. She recognized the young man who had entered the room. "Ah, Alex, how nice to see you again, how is she?" "As far as I can tell, she is recuperating well, Lady Rose…though Ciara has already found her…" "That snake, she'll do anything to become Top Girl." "I know, Lady Rose, but it appears that Amy is doing more than well even with her around." "I do not understand." "I have heard from my reliable sources that Amy has done better than Ciara in that town. And I trust she will remain that way for as long as she stays there although I hope she returns soon, the media is looking for her and they won't stop searching until they find her." "Thank you, Alex. You have always been a reliable help." "Thank you, Lady Rose." Alex left the room, a relieved smile on his face.

"Well, you look cheerful?" Alex looked at the young man beside him in the corridor some distance away from Lady Rose's lounge. "Oh, it's you, Paul. I'm just relieved to have informed Lady Rose of her daughter's current state." "It seems to me that you are more than relieved." Paul looked at him with knowing eyes. "And you are allowed to talk that way? You were her first." Alex rolled his brilliant, amethyst eyes. "And I hoped would not be her last, I heard from my own sources that she has a new one in mind." "What your sources say is true; I saw him when I was there. And my sources have watched them after I had left." "Well, I'm pleased that she has. I wouldn't want to hurt her heart, she is quite sensitive." "What are you saying? I can't believe that you would be so happy." "I'm happy for her because I love her, Alex." "I know, and I love her too, but don't you think it's not good for her to stay in the countryside when she was born and had lived in the city most of her life." "I don't think so, if she is happy with her life there than live a life with little privacy." "You won't say such things if you knew. The snake is currently there too." "What! _Her_! I can't believe it." "Believe it, I saw _her_ with my own eyes. You already know what she did." "How could I not? She ruined my name in front of Amy." "I feel worse than you do." "What do you mean?" "_She_ made another rumor about me in front of Amy at the town she is at, a fresh wound." "I pity Amy, she's suffered so much." Alex nodded, Paul was right. "I wrote a letter to her though, and I explained everything." "With that letter, I hope she recovers." "I do too and I believe she has if she's already found someone else. Though I worry what Lady Rose would say about it." "I believe the proper word to describe her feelings would be distress. Well, I have to go; I still have an art gallery to visit." "I thought it was _your_ art gallery." Alex looked at him jokingly. "I do not wish to boast about my own talents." Paul's attractive face beamed as he headed down the corridor and out the great doors. Alex left for his room; he was delighted to be back in the Rose House even if it meant serving Lady Rose.

Amy sat on her bed, happy to know that she had won and that Gray had told her how happy he was for her. She had already changed into her pajamas. Lioness was already curled up in bed, sound asleep. She took her diary and pen and flipped through the pages...

_Spring 22, 6:50 pm, Friday_

_I have grown to love Gray even more. He has been so sweet to me lately. He makes me happy and he made me laugh a few days ago. I know he still has feelings for Mary and I can't help feeling jealous at times though I understand why he has such feelings for her. They have been together since he came here. She must have been his inspiration and I know how he feels about her. It was the same thing with Paul. I will never forget him; he inspired me so much to do my best, and to love my work. "Work as if you don't need the money." He always said. I couldn't understand what he meant before but I began to understand what he meant later on. Because of him, I graduated with top marks, with a little cajoling from Alex. "Love as if you've never been hurt…" The phrase keeps coming back to me when I think of Gray. Because of it, I've grown somehow stronger. I hope that our relationship would not end badly. I could never bear another heart break._

_-Amy_

Amy placed the diary back. She snuggled into the bed with Lioness and her breathing was soon relaxed and steady. Her dreams were troubling: dreams about her mother…

Author's Note: I have nothing to say (you've already read the chapter) except to thank everyone for their reviews. Your reviews motivate me to continue this story. I'm sorry if Chapter 11 and 12 are quite short. What's going to happen next? Wait for Chapter 13 (unlucky 13 :), just kidding.).


	13. A Meeting Discovered

Chapter 13: A Meeting Discovered

Amy woke up at 6 o'clock some days later, her hair dishevelled, she had slept fitfully. She hoped she didn't look so bad. She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She had dark lines under her eyes and she looked drowsy. "She looks dreadful." Her photographer would have said if he saw her now. She sighed; she knew Gray would notice the dark lines though she hoped his love for her wouldn't change. After taking a bath and putting on some lotion, she put on a sky blue sleeveless shirt over her jeans accompanied with her jacket. She made herself up, hoping to somehow cover up her weariness. The results were alright, she supposed. The dark lines weren't noticeable at a distance and they weren't so dark if someone, particularly Gray, would look at her closely. She had done the same thing for the past six days now. Her mother would have been upset by her looks. She was thankful she had her make-up kit with her though she rarely used it before. She looked at Lioness, who was sleeping so soundly. Amy felt a tinge of envy. She couldn't sleep as peacefully as Lioness but she couldn't understand why she had those dreams for several nights now…about her mother's disapproval. It wasn't as if she were going to get married yet…she was going to be seventeen and Gray was two years older than her. It was a coincidence that he was the same age as Matt, Paul, Alex and…Andrew. She shook her head. _"He wouldn't want me to think of him that way."_ "Meow!" Amy looked at Lioness who was by now wide awake. She left the room with Lioness following closely behind. They had their breakfast downstairs with Doug's approval. He didn't like pets… mainly cats, very much and only approved of Lioness eating with Amy because of her behaved manner. Lioness lapped at the milk in the dish as Amy ate her omelette slowly, relishing its delicate taste. Ann gave Lioness some grilled fish which the cat ate with gusto. Amy giggled as she saw Lioness roll around on the wooden floor, looking like a big ball of fluff. "You know, Lioness, you really need exercise." She teased her pet as she stroked her silky, orange-striped, yellow fur. Lioness purred as if to agree with her.

They left the Inn; Amy was excited to work on the farm again after several days of leisure time, mostly spent with Gray and watching out for Ciara. Lioness was warily looking around as if she were uneasy about her surroundings. Amy walked towards Meadow Farm when she came upon Tim and Elli walking towards her, perhaps on their way to the clinic. "Good morning, Tim. Good morning, Elli." She greeted the two with an easy smile. "Good morning, Amy." "Hello, Amy." Elli looked happy. "I just saw the two of you came from the farm, is something wrong?" "Wrong? Oh, no, we just went to give Marc his seasonal check-up. Karen doesn't want to bring him to the clinic." Elli giggled; Amy couldn't help giggling as well. "Motherhood has changed her a lot." Elli sighed. Amy nodded. She had noticed that Karen was worried for her son whom she loved and pampered affectionately. She said goodbye to her two friends and went to the farm, Lioness still following warily. Matt was already working, a habit that came from his three years of farming. Amy greeted him with a smile and he did the same. She headed off to the chicken coop. where the chickens were waiting to be fed. She fed them one by one, leaving just enough feed for little Sapphira, the young chick which she, herself, had named. She adored Sapphira among all the chickens because she was the only chick among the flock...of chickens? Lioness had gone to roam around the pasture as she usually did when she was on the farm, she was careful of Skyracer's hooves. Amy then went to the barn. She milked Mirodi and Chidori, both of them gave a big jug full of milk. She brushed them gently and tenderly and received a kind, pleasant moo from both of them. She then went to the two sheep, Karen and Sasha. Karen was pregnant again and Amy noted that she would give birth a few days from now. Sasha's wool needed shearing. Amy immediately took out the shears and expertly sheared the wool off. She combed Sasha gently, knowing that she had sensitive skin under her wool. She placed fodder in their feeding boxes, not missing the maternity feeding box. Karen, the sheep, needed all the nourishment she could get.

She left the barn and whistled for Skyracer. He bounded over to her in only a few moments. She marvelled at how big he was since she last saw him; he looked amazing as his coat shone in the sunlight. "Hey there, big guy, how are you?" She petted him on the neck. He nudged her with his nose, a sign that he missed her. "I missed you too." She pulled out an apple from her rucksack, which she had bought at the Inn. Skyracer munched it down in two bites. He whinnied. "You're welcome, big guy." Amy looked at his back and remembered the day at the Spring Horse Races. _"In loving memory of you…Big Brother."_ She smiled when she remembered that Matt had signed her up in his name...Andrew. A tear ran down her cheek, she wiped it away. She let Skyracer trot off as she headed for the house. Karen was sitting at the dinner table; Marc was sleeping soundly in her arms. Amy watched the mother and child before leaving; she didn't know why she went inside. Suddenly, a big, brown thing jumped on top of her. She fell onto the ground. "Luna!" The big dog licked her face. "Luna, stop that." He stopped but his tongue was dripping on her jacket. He got off as she stood up and took off her jacket, which was now wet with his drool. She was thankful that her top was still dry. She loved Luna but she didn't know about his slobbering. She petted him on the head before giving him a good scratch behind his ear. He enjoyed being scratched that way. Amy couldn't help loving the animals in the farm and around her.

Amy took Matt's farming basket and started on the crops while Matt had gone to chop some firewood, Luna was happily sitting beside her. She knelt down and started harvesting some of the turnips and cabbages. "You know you shouldn't be doing a man's job." She turned around to meet his amber eyes. "Paul." She hugged him. "Hello Amy. It's good to see you again." "It's good to see you again too." She couldn't believe he was here. "You know, you should leave some of the soil for the crops." "Do I look that terrible?" Paul looked at her in artistic point of view. "No, you're beautiful just the way you are." Amy placed the crops in the shipping bin. "So what made you decide to come here?" His attractive face beamed. "I just wanted to see how you and Matt were doing; I haven't seen the both of you for some time now and I guess I just wanted to check up on the two of you." She blushed for some reason. "Thanks for your concern, Paul. I was hoping you'd look around, perhaps you'd be inspired to do a painting of this place." "Perhaps, though I didn't bring my canvases and paints with me." "Oh..." Amy felt unhappy, she wanted to see him work on a painting; he was a great painter. "Don't worry, I promise the next time I'll come back with them." She brightened; Paul was a man of his word. She harvested the last of the crops as Paul sat by the apple tree, looking around at the acres of land in front of him. Luna was lying beside him. Amy remembered to harvest the honey which she gave to him. "Thank you, Amy, but are you sure it's alright?" She nodded. "It's alright, Paul." They decided to take a walk around the town; she wanted to show him around. They went around the town, he marvelled at the simplicity of the town, giving it a homely charm. They ended their tour with a hike up Mother's Hill.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" She nodded, she couldn't have agreed more. As they walked up the mountain, Amy was surprised to see Gray with Ciara; she seemed to be flirting with him. "No…" "Amy…" Gray looked at her, and then he saw who she was with. "Gray…No…It couldn't be true…No…" Amy ran down the mountain path, unable to think of anything else but what she had seen. Ciara had a captivating and triumphant smile on her face. Gray sighed, his displeasure showing as his anti-social self came back. "I better go back to town…" He finally said. Ciara followed him down the path to town, leaving Paul alone at the peak. "_So she's making trouble…is she!"_ When he was sure no one was around, he took out a black cellphone from his pocket and dialled a number. He listened as it began to ring…

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered. "Alex, it's me." "So what's going on? Is there anything new?" "Yes, it seems the snake is making trouble for Lady Amethyst." "She always is. What happened this time?" "That someone else we were talking about…he was with her…and it just so happened that Amy was there." "Ouch…" "Yeah…" "We have to tell her about this." "No, not yet…she doesn't have to know just yet…" "What are you thinking? You should get back here before she finds out you're gone again." "I still have some mending work to do." "Paul, have you gone mad? We have no business with Amy except..." "Except what…you care for her as much as I do, don't you?" "Well…" "Alex, we promised him that we would take care of her." "Oh…alright, I'll cover for you, just don't do anything to make her apprehensive." "I won't. You know that I wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary." Paul hung up.

Alex put his phone down on the table. _"I knew I shouldn't have told him about her…" _He paced around the room, thinking of a good way to hide their actions. Rose House wasn't safe from secrets but it was secretive in one way...no one from either the Lorren or Winthor house knew of its existence except Lady Rose herself and…Andrew, her son. He looked at the painting on the wall in his room. It was a beautiful painting of her wearing a sapphire blue gown which accentuated her eyes. The painter knows his art…He sighed. _"She looks so much like him."_ He remembered everything…

Amy couldn't stop her tears even though she tried. She couldn't believe what she had seen just a few moments ago. She began to pack her things…she had left a note to Matt…she was leaving for good and nothing would make her come back. She could forgive him if he were with Mary…but Ciara? The one female she tried to befriend as a girl who wouldn't accept her as one, the very snake that hurt her throughout her youth and was still hurting her? She couldn't understand why they were together. Lioness looked at her worriedly. As Amy headed out of her room, Lioness stopped her. "Lioness, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to." "Meow..." Amy sighed. She went down the stairs, Lioness still following her. "Meow…" Amy didn't look back as she headed for the beach and the port…where the ferry was waiting. "Meow…" Lioness did her best to stop her mistress but it was all in vain. Amy boarded the ferry. Lioness could not go with her…she sat on the pier as the ferry sailed away, her tail curled around her. Her golden eyes followed it until it was no longer visible…"Meow…" There was nothing she could do now…nothing…

Author's Note: I'm sorry if it took so long but I was going through different ideas for this chapter...I thought this was best...although I think you'd say it was confusing somehow. Anyway, thanks again for your motivating reviews and please bear with me if I take long to update.


	14. A Decision For Love

Chapter 14: A Decision For Love

Gray sat on a chair near the counter of the beach house, it was a warm, sunny day and he had changed from his greyish-brown work clothes to a simple blue shirt over jeans. He couldn't help thinking about what happened three days ago. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" He looked up to see a pair of brown eyes against a tanned face. "Oh, hey, Kai. It's nothing…" He sulked again. "It's nothing? You look as blue as the ocean, if you know what I mean." Kai joked. "I get it…" Gray's tone was indifferent, neutral. "Oh, come on, Gray. You've got to cheer up. You've barely touched your food." Gray looked at the baked corn in front of him. It was still steaming though he didn't have the appetite to eat it. A cat purred as it rubbed against his legs, he recognized the cat as the one in Amy's room. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head.

"Hey Kai, you're from the city right?" "Yeah, so are you." "And you know the city more than anyone else here?" "I suppose…what does that have to do with anything?" "I'm thinking of going back to the city for a couple of days." "What for?" Gray fell silent; he couldn't tell Kai about Amy, could he? It took him some time to reply. "Well, it's just for a break, some R and R, you could say." "Uh-huh! And I'm surprised that that didn't dawn on you years back. That's not the whole truth is it?" "You're right…it's just that I met this girl last Spring and…" "And she's gone back to the city…" "Yeah, I miss her." "What's her name?" "Amy…Amy Winthor." Kai's mouth fell open. Gray was surprised by his reaction. "What's wrong?" "Gray, do you know who she is?" "Yeah, she's Matt's cousin and a city girl." "She's not just a city girl, she's a famous model. She's on the cover of every fashion magazine in the city." "What? You're kidding, right?" Kai shook his head. "I'm not kidding; she's one of the most sought after girls in the city. Every guy there dreams of getting her as his girl…well, every guy except me, of course." The truth dawned on Gray like a lesson he had learned before but was forgotten. Amy wasn't the girl he thought she was. She was famous…and she didn't tell him. _"I…I love you too and I want to stay but I'm not sure I can." "I have to go to work and……I can't leave my mother alone by herself too long. She's not as well as she used to be."_ _"I'm sorry too, I half-lied to you the day before. I didn't mean to, I just couldn't tell you why I couldn't stay."_ Her words flooded his mind. He understood now why she couldn't stay. "I…I can't believe it." "I can't believe you even met her. I thought she wasn't much of a country girl." "Thanks for the info, Kai." Gray stood to go. "Your welcome. Be careful, Gray. No one can trust celebrities."

Gray opened the door, only to see Cliff and Rick crash onto the white floor. "What are you guys doing here?" Tim appeared by the doorway. "We couldn't help overhearing you say that you were going to the city." He explained. "Yeah…so?" Gray didn't like eavesdroppers. "We were hoping to go with you." Cliff spoke as he and Rick stood up. Gray's eyebrow rose at the thought of the three of them going with him. "What's that got to do with the three of you? The three of you like Ciara, not Amy." "To tell you the truth, all three of us found out about Ciara and we still have strong feelings for Amy." Rick pushed his glasses towards the bridge of his nose. Ciara had gone back to the city a few days ago after Amy left. "Who convinced you?" "Amy's friend, his name's Paul." Cliff brushed off the invisible dust on his clothes. Gray almost gasped when Cliff said the name. "So what do you think?" Tim was somehow no longer as calm as he used to be. "Well…what do you think, Kai?" "I think its okay; I also want to meet Amy since all of you seem to think she's nice." Gray shrugged; he knew he wouldn't have even a moment alone with Amy with all four of them with him.

All five of them packed that night. Gray had asked Saibara about it and his Grandpa agreed though he had noted the wink his Grandpa gave him, his Grandpa rarely winked except when he was with a girl or was thinking of visiting one. Rick told Lillia and Popuri, who both agreed that he needed time off, Popuri would handle the chickens while he was away, she wasn't so happy when Kai told her he was going too. Tim had informed Elli, who said that she would do fine at the clinic on her own for the time being and Cliff told Duke, Manna, and Pastor Carter, all of them had agreed that it was time for him to make his decision when it came to his relationship with Amy. Gray, Cliff and Kai also informed Doug and Ann. When the sun dawned the next day, they ate an early breakfast and left for the beach as they waited for the ferry. Kai locked the beach house up and had placed a closed sign on the door, informing anyone that he was out for a couple of days. The five of them boarded the ferry. "I can't believe I'm leaving town for a couple of days." Said Rick. The others were quiet as they watched as Mineral Town slowly grew smaller until it disappeared from view.

"Evergreen City, all ashore who's going ashore." The captain's voice boomed through the speakers. The five of them disembarked with their luggage in tow. The port was bustling with people. Gray marvelled at how the city had changed in the three years he had been away. Rick and Tim couldn't believe their eyes as they had been in Mineral Town most of their lives. Cliff simply looked around; he had travelled a lot before settling in Mineral Town so the city wasn't much of a surprise. Kai, on the other hand, sighed; he had expected to stay in Mineral Town for the whole summer. The five guys went on their way as the girls they past whispered. "Oh, the one in front's handsome…" "I think the black-haired one is cuter…" "No, the brown haired one is so handsome." Gray rolled his eyes, how he wished he could see Amy now. They left the docks only to come across a street with a large soccer field/playground on one side and a large building with a white stretch limousine parked on the other. The five guys stood outside the playground, they were tired. Gray looked at the stretch. A driver stepped out and he looked to be in his forties. "Hey, watch out." Gray looked behind him, only to catch a soccer ball in his hands. A small boy was running towards them. The five guys couldn't believe their eyes. The boy looked like a younger version of Matt. "Thank you for catching the ball." Gray handed the ball to the boy, who kicked it back to his friends. "Young Master Max, it's time to go." The driver of the stretch was right beside them. "Already? Okay." The boy's voice was soft. "Hey guys, we'll have to play again tomorrow." He shouted to his buddies. "Okay." The other boys shouted back. Gray couldn't believe his eyes when someone else stepped out of the limo. "Max, you…Gray, Cliff, Tim, Rick." "Amy." "It's nice to see you guys here." "Miss Amy, do you know them?" "It's alright, Myles. They're my friends from Mineral Town." "Oh, I see." She turned to the five guys. "What are you guys doing here?" "We…" Rick couldn't think of anything. "We thought of taking a break from work so we came here to take some R and R." Cliff finished for him. "Oh, I see. Well, I hope you enjoy yourselves." A sweet smile was on her face. Amy saw Kai and looked at him. "Amy, he is Kai. He owns the beach house." Gray introduced them. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Kai took her hand and kissed it. "Eeeew." Max shook his head. "Max! The pleasure is all mine, Kai. Why don't the five of you join us for lunch today?" "It would be our pleasure." Kai answered with a charming smile on his face. The four guys had their mouths open, unable to utter another word. They calmed down after a few moments. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Max?" "I suppose not, Sister Amy." Max looked at his older half-sister. Max led the way to the limo and was the first to step inside. Amy was the next. The guys went in one at a time but were surprised to come face to face with a large Golden Retriever. It gave a friendly bark. They grew tense, thinking that the bark was a warning. "Apollo, come here." Apollo, the dog, trotted to Amy. "Sit." He sat. Max rubbed his furry back. The guys relaxed somewhat and for the first time that day, they noticed that Amy was wearing something different. She wore a sleeveless yellow dress…yes, definitely a dress which barely touched her knees and skimmed her figure. "Sis, why can't I stay and play for awhile?" "Max, you know it's almost lunch time and you also know what happened the last time you played even when you were hungry." Max nodded. The guys were silent, unable to take their eyes of Amy. Only Gray looked away, he knew he could never give Amy the happiness she deserved. They had lunch at Henry Lorren, her father's, home. Max played with Apollo as the she and the guys simply watched, knowing that he and Matt looked alike. "Well, well, I didn't know we had visitors." "Papa!" Max stopped playing to hug his father. "Papa, welcome home." Amy hugged him as well. The guys watched, if Max was the younger version of Matt, Henry was the older. He, Henry, looked to be in his late thirties. They were now certain that Amy looked like her mother, she didn't look anything like her father except perhaps for her blue eyes.

Gray sighed, he was tired. The five of them had stayed in Henry's home, as he had invited them to, where Amy would be staying for two weeks as was agreed upon after her parents' divorce. Each of them had one room. Gray was slowly getting to know Henry as well as Max and they were both friendly although he didn't spend much time with Amy because Kai kept leading her away from him. The five of them had joined Amy and her family for dinner as well earlier that evening. Tim, Cliff and Rick had gone to play cards in Cliff's room, which surprised him because he never imagined the three gambling before. He decided that he had to go to bed; maybe a good night's sleep would clear his mind of his worries.

He awoke the next day and did his usual routine of bathing, washing his face, brushing his teeth, dressing, eating and brushing again. He found the limo ready to take them to the Winthor House…her mother's house. Amy, who wore a velvet dress, looked restless as the limo drove through the city and stopped outside a great, magnificent white mansion. Gray helped Amy, who was still uneasy. Throughout the day, he spent time with Amy and her mother, May.

That afternoon, May watched from her window as her daughter and the young man, Gray, were walking in the garden. Alex was watching them as well, he liked Gray somewhat and he felt certain that Gray was the ideal man, if not perfect, for Amy. May, in contrast, could not accept the fact that her daughter was in love with such a young man. He was an apprentice for one and did not exactly have a stable life...Later that day, as the sun was setting…"Miss Amy, your mother is calling you." A maid called her. Gray accompanied her until they went inside. "Please wait here, Master Gray." James, the butler, spoke, motioning to a chair outside May's room. Amy knocked at the door. "Come in." She heard her mother say. "Mother, did you call me?" She poked her head inside her mother's room. "Yes, my dear." "What is it?" She entered. "Amy Dear, you know that I love you, don't you?" She nodded. "Yes…" "And that I would do anything to make you happy?" "Yes…" "Now, Darling, I want you to think your life through." Amy was shocked, she had dreamt this moment…"I…I don't understand…Mother." "Amy Dear, I want you to think about what you're going through and what the consequences of your actions are." "Mother, are you saying…" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother wanted her to forget about Gray. "No, Mother, I love him!" "You're too young to understand love!" "Mother, I won't leave him, you don't know anything about what Gray and I share."

Gray heard them quarrelling. He paced around the room as a cluster of thoughts filled his mind. "_Amy loves me...yet her Mother does not approve…her father does but her mother has raised her since she was a child…her mother has more influence on her than her father…"_ He shook his head, he was unsure. He closed his eyes, a habit he did to think things through…when he opened them again, he was sure of what he was going to do. "Mother, you can't make me leave him, you don't understand…" Amy left the room, only to find that Gray was gone…"Gray?" She headed out the door, seeing him walk down the driveway leading out of the gates. "Gray, Darling?" He turned around to face her, his eyes unbiased. She ran into his arms. "Darling, I'm so sorry you had to hear me say those words." "Amy…" She was troubled when she heard him call her name. "What is it, Darling?" "Amy…I don't think we should see each other anymore." "Darling…I don't understand…why?" "I don't want to be the cause for ruining your family…I…I can't give you the happiness you deserve. I'm sorry, Amy." "Gray…please don't go. I promise I would never argue with my mother again if it means you'll stay with me." "No, Amy, I'm the reason why you're arguing with your mother. When I'm gone, things would be back to normal again." "No, they won't…I love you, I would never love another again when you're gone. Gray, please don't go." His decision was unbiased by her pleas. "Goodbye, Amy." He left her alone on the driveway. "Gray…no…" Amy fell to her knees, her tears unrestrained. Time passed, she stood up. _"I vow never to love another man again. Thank you, Mother, for all that you've caused."_ She returned to her room, her head held high, her tears gone…"Goodbye, love."

Author's Note: I can't say anything except...ouch...this chapter hurt me as I wrote it...I do hope you'll read the next one, it's not as painful I think...but anyway this isn't the end, perhaps things will get better...perhaps...I'm sorry if this is as confusing as the last...I just couldn't find the right words to describe some of the events...


	15. Her Final Decision

Chapter 15: Her Final Decision

Amy didn't know what to do…Gray was gone…and she was _alone_ in such a big house, living with her kind father and good brother. The other guys were still staying, they had rented rooms at a nearby Inn, although she found out from Cliff that Gray had left earlier that morning…he had left because of _her_…"_Mother, why? Why?" _Her father was by far more considerate than _her_. She could not bring herself to forgive her mother…not now, and, perhaps, not ever…though that was impossible, she always forgave those who had hurt her…

May couldn't help noticing a change in her daughter, she was no longer cheerful or as kind as she had once been to her…"Amy, Sweetie, you should eat more." "No thank you…" Her daughter's voice was indifferent. Amy no longer looked at her the way she used to…May began to miss her daughter…and she wished with all her heart that her daughter would return…"What have I done? What have I done?" Alex and Paul sometimes heard Lady Rose sob. Things were becoming worse as each day passed.

Amy had confessed as gently and as kindly as she possibly could to each of the guys that she was not interested in being in a relationship and they all understood. They went home, leaving her to have some time to think for a few days. She knew her mother had noticed the change in her behaviour and she wanted to keep it that way until her mother would see the truth. She would never love another man except Gray…and he was gone…No matter what her mother would do, she was determined not to give in to her mother's wishes. She was still on the front cover of every fashion magazine but it was only for the money that she maintained her standings. As soon as she had enough money, she would leave Evergreen City and move to some town where people didn't know who she was and try to start a new life. She would forget about Gray…She was willing to do so…even if it meant never seeing him again…"Gray…" "Meow…" Amy looked down. A white cat with black stripes was rubbing against her. "Oh…Hello Tiger." She picked up her tomcat. "What are you doing here?" "Meow…" "Apollo had better not find you here. You'll get in trouble." "Meow!" Tiger clawed the air as if to show what he'd do to Apollo. Amy held him close; Tiger was her guardian…sort of. He was always at the right place at the right time. He never fussed when she went out with Paul and Alex but he objected to most of the men who tried to go out with her. Gray hadn't met Tiger yet and she thought of what he would do to Gray. _"Gray…" _"I love him, Tiger." "Meow!" Tiger snuggled closer to her. He felt sure that his mate was doing well…

Gray looked at the window. The orange-striped cat was still lounging on the windowsill. "I wonder why you keep staying here." Lioness looked at him with one drowsy, golden eye. Gray couldn't concentrate when the cat was around. "Why are you hanging around here?" Lioness yawned as she stretched herself, her claws were showing. "Meow…" She looked at him warmly. "I wonder why…but it seems to me as if you're trying to tell me something…" "Meow." She leapt out of the window. "?" "Meow." She poked her head through the open door. "I would be crazy if I say you want me to follow you." "Meow!" "Alright…" Gray shrugged as he left the shop and followed Lioness, who was heading towards the Inn. He opened the door. Doug and Ann were surprised to see him back so soon. He went up the stairs and saw Lioness lightly paw the door to the room Amy used to stay in. He opened it. Lioness sprang under her bed and seemed to be dragging something out with her mouth. "What are you doing?" He knelt beside her and saw the red pouch in her mouth; it was made of oriental silk. He opened it to find the brooch he had given her. He then remembered something, he took out the cloth he kept in his pocket, the cloth that kept the charm bracelet he had hoped to give to her. "Amy…" He held them both close to his heart. He still loved her…he would always love her no matter what happened. Lioness looked up at him, her front paws resting on his leg. "You know, you're one clever cat." He stroked her head.

Gray was working on a new project: upgrading Matt's axe. It had been a few days since he found the brooch which he had kept hidden. He was almost finished when…"Gray!" "Oh, hello, Mary. What brings you here?" "I have a surprise for you." "What is it?" "You have to come with me to find out…" "?" "Come on." "Gramps, I have to go." Saibara nodded. "Just come back later to finish what you've started." Gray nodded. He followed Mary to Rose Square…She was heading to the beach…"Mary, what's so special about the beach?" He looked at her as he walked down the stairs. Mary didn't answer but simply looked away from him. Gray followed her gaze and gasped. There standing on the sand was Amy. "Amy!" "Gray…!" Amy dropped her bags and ran to him. He held her lovingly in his arms. They kissed; unable to control the joy they felt upon seeing each other. Lioness sat beside Mary but when she saw Tiger, she went to him. They stroked each other and nudged each other lovingly. Amy and Gray looked at the two cats. They were thankful. Thetwo cats had somehow reunited and reconciled them. "Gray, I'm so sorry…" "No, I should be sorry…I shouldn't have done what I did." "No, I shouldn't have let Mother take control of me." Mary left the two lovebirds alone. "Oh Sweetheart, I missed you…" "I missed you too, Darling." She held him closer. "And I have great news." "What is it?" "I'm staying with you for as long as I live." Gray felt pure joy as he kissed her again. "Amy Sweetheart, you don't know how happy that makes me feel." "I'mso happy too. I want to be with you."

Author's Note: I'm very sorry if this was a short chapter but I will try to make Chapter 16 longer. Oh, their back together again. How sweet. : )


	16. Happiness

Chapter 16: Happiness

Amy took her diary and pen from her bedside table. She had already moved back to her room at the Inn and was glad to be back. The guys thought so too…She giggled.

_Summer 8, 6:10 am, Sunday_

_I can't believe what has happened since last week. Mother agreed to let me stay in Mineral Town and perhaps, she would agree if…Oh, I can't say just yet…Gray and I are still getting to know each other but perhaps…it could happen…I'm not so sure but I love him and he loves me and maybe next year, we could be…maybe. I'm almost seventeen and I think no one knows when my birthday is yet…I won't tell them as of now…I don't expect anything, I just want to spend a quiet birthday with my friends. I might have a party…I might. Oh, I just feel so happy right now…I don't know what else to say…_

_-Amy_

Amy locked her diary and placed it back on the table. She watched as Tiger and Lioness slept on the other bed. They seemed to be…in love? Amy giggled at the thought. The two reminded her of the relationship she still had with Gray…they seemed to be destined for each other. "_Destined?"_ She was puzzled by the thought. Were she and Gray destined for each other? She hoped so. She was thankful he found her brooch. It had worried her…she didn't know how she could have forgotten to bring it with her…she had packed it in her bag…unless…she looked at Lioness who was sleeping so soundly beside her mate. Amy smiled; Lioness had been so crafty, so clever. She heard a knock at the door. She opened it. "Hi Amy." "Hi Ann." "May I come in?" "Of course." Amy made room for her. "Thanks." Ann sat down on the bed near Tiger and Lioness. Tiger looked up at her with tired eyes before lying his head down gently on Lioness's back. "They look cute together, don't they?" Amy nodded. "Amy?" "?" Amy looked at her best friend curiously. "What is it, Ann?" "The girls and I were wondering if…" "If what?" "If you'd like to go to Popuri's birthday party tonight." "Tonight? But I thought Popuri's birthday was Summer 3." "It is but she wanted to have only one birthday party between us." "You mean, your birthday party and her birthday party are going to be joined." Ann nodded. "Of course, I'd go." Amy exclaimed. "Really?" Ann looked at her hopefully. She nodded. "Okay. It's going to be a beach party so you have to wear a swimsuit." Amy gasped. "Okay…" She blushed. "Oh, Amy. Don't be so shy. All of us will be wearing a swimsuit. The guys will be going too." "Okay." "Well, I have to go." Ann was almost out the door when…"Ann, wait just a minute." "Yes?" "What time is the party?" "Oh, it's at 5 o'clock. We'll be partying the night away." They both giggled. Ann left to go hiking with Popuri. Knowing that it was warm outside, Amy left her jacket and went to the farm to do what she did best…"_Sundays are not holidays, especially if you worked at a farm."_

Amy worked diligently on the farm; she really cared for the farm especially the animals. Karen, the sheep, had already given birth to a new lamb that Matt had named Amy. Amy just loved the new lamb, not because she was named after her but because she was such a darling. Sapphira had grown since the last time Amy had seen her. She was no longer a chick but was now a young chicken. Amy tended to the animals, giving them the tender love and care they needed. She and Matt had finished the farm work just in time for lunch. The tomatoes, corn, onions and pineapples were still growing so there wasn't a harvest yet. Marc was now walking. The few times he fell onto the floor; he let out a loud cry. "It's alright, Marc Sweetie." Karen would croon to him as she held him in his arms, he would usually calm down when he heard his mother's voice. Matt couldn't be more proud of Karen. She was doing a great job as a mother. They ate lunch together; a simple lunch considering that it was a warm, sunny day. Marc was starting to eat solid food as Karen fed him. Amy loved her only nephew, Karen let her play with him and Marc would always end up cuddling her. She felt loved here…she was so foolish to think that she wouldn't come back. She forgave her mother now and perhaps her mother would one day see how much she and Gray loved each other. Her mother would be so happy when she would hear the pitter-patter of little feet again…Amy blushed at the thought. She didn't want to think of it at the moment; she and Gray weren't even engaged yet…

Amy looked at her watch as she took her usual afternoon visits around the town. It was 4:25. _"I still have enough time to get ready."_ She went to the Inn, having finished visiting everyone. Looking through her wardrobe, she took out the swimsuits she had packed along with her. She had brought all four of them. Two of them were her mother's choice; the other two were her own. She examined them with an expert eye. Being a model was a good thing now and then. She now knew what suited her and what didn't. She had only one two piece, having been a conservative girl most of her life. She looked over each one. Amorous thoughts had never been in her mind till she met Gray. He helped her recover from Alex yet it was Alex's letter which mended her wound completely. She chose a yellow swimsuit and put it on. It, like her other swimsuits, hugged her, which sometimes made her feel reluctant to wear such things. She hoped it didn't show too much. She got her bag and took out a beautiful, flowery, light blue sarong, which she tied around her waist. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked nice, she supposed. She put on her rucksack, which contained two gifts inside. She left the Inn, heading to the beach. Her hair glittered as it caught the sunlight.

"Amy, you came." Popuri greeted her with a hug. "Belated Happy Birthday, Popuri." Amy handed her a gift. "Thank you, Amy. You're so kind." Popuri put the present on a white table along with other gifts. Amy noticed that Popuri was wearing a pink two piece. "Amy, you made it." Amy turned and saw Ann, wearing a fashionably orange swimsuit. "Advanced Happy Birthday, Ann." She handed Ann a gift. "Thank you, Amy. Wow, your outfit suits you." "Really? I thought it was a bit too much." "No, actually Ann's right. It looks good on you." Said Popuri. "Amy!" Karen joined them, wearing a white two piece. "Hello Karen." "Oh god, Amy, is that the new trend in the city?" Karen asked. "Oh no, it's just the usual thing I do when wearing a swimsuit." Amy blushed. "Amy!" Mary and Elli came along. The girls sat down and chatted for some time as the guys were talking about other things. When Amy finally left the other girls, she walked along the shore. "Amy." She turned to see Gray. He had stood from where he sat before and joined her. His arms snaked around her. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful." "Oh, Darling." She laid her head on his chest. This was pure happiness to her.

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the few weeks...it was either a few weeks or only a week...I'm sorry I took so long to update but I went through a busy schedule. Anyway, to summarize this chapter, Amy has been happy since she stayed in Mineral Town...but will this happiness last? Find out in later chapters...it might not be in Chapter 17 but I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Back to the writing board.


	17. Confessions, A Promise and Wishes

Author's Note: Before reading this chapter, I should tell you that there would be switching of POV's though it won't be so complicated. I think you can already tell who's POV's this chapter is written about though I won't tell you, you'll have to read it to find out.

Chapter 17: Confessions, A Promise and Wishes

I watched her as she slowly walked along the shore, her golden hair lightly blown by the wind. Her attractive face, I know, brightened by her dazzling sapphire eyes. I can't help loving her; she is beautiful from the inside and out, but I want her to be happy and I know she has someone else in mind. I kept silent as I watched him join her, he rarely left her side. I saw her smile that sweet smile which still attracts me to her. Tim, Rick and I could not help our feelings for her…she had always been nice to us, but we had promised ourselves that we would not hinder their relationship since that night when we told Gray we were going to play cards. I believe she made a good choice. Gray is a nice guy once you get to know him. All five of us have been good friends for three years now, Matt included. I'm thankful she didn't fall for Kai's charms, she's the first girl I know who didn't. He has always been a ladies' man. I have a feeling that if she had fallen, she would experience yet another broken heart. Kai rarely joins us guys since; he says; he has other things to do, meaning going out with Popuri, Rick's younger sister. I can only wish her relationship with Gray well…I know Gray has been thinking about something…and I think I know what, he's been smiling ever since they got back together…which is nice to see…

ooooo

I think I know what Cliff is thinkingabout as he watched them. I also watch them, although I make sure Elli doesn't notice me doing so. My love for Amy…I cannot describe it. It's different from what I feel for Elli, though I love her too. Amy has been helpful to me by collecting different types of herbs, which I deem necessary. I suppose that was how my love for her grew…I have not forgotten the promise I made. I can only wish them a long, happy, and healthy life together.

oooooo

Since Karen's marriage, I hadn't fallen for any girl. I don't feel bad about it; it's just that I thought I would never love again…until I met Amy. My feelings for her, I confess, are not as strong as either Cliff's or Tim's but it is stronger than my feelings for any other girl in town except Karen. But…I know she has chosen Gray, and I respect her decision. I personally am not angry nor do I feel jealous about it. I never regretted having feelings for her. In a strange way, it gave me hope. Since then, I've occasionally gone to the library during my free time or when the store is closed. I will keep my promise, I am a man of my word…I just wish Amy and Gray the best of luck.

Author's Note: Oh, how sweet. This is the shortest chapter I've written so far but it's one of my personal favorites. Thanks for the reviews, motivation is a must with me. Nowback to the writing board, I'm already finished writing Chapter 18 on paper and am now starting to type it as I'm writing this message. I might post it sometime next week, or sooner. : )


	18. A Plan Unsure?

Chapter 18: A Plan…Unsure?

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews as always. They are always motivating me to continue. To give you a brief summary of Chapter 17, it was actually the other guys' POVs, the guys namely Cliff, Tim, and Rick respectively,and their confessions about their feelings for Amy. Now this chapter, I'm sorry if it's also short, is written in Gray's POV. : )

I lay on the towel I had placed at the farthest corner of the beach. I don't know why but I find myself thinking about her more and more, especially now that I'm alone. I have a feeling that Cliff and the other guys have a hunch as to what I am planning – I just hope nothing goes wrong. As I look up into the sky, I could just make out a cloud shaped like a heart…

"Darling, is something wrong?" I sat up and saw Amy standing near me. She still was a vision of beauty even if her hair was slightly disarrayed. I couldn't help feeling my heart beat as I looked at her. "There's nothing wrong, Sweetheart. I was just thinking." She sat beside me on the towel, her head resting on my shoulder as I held her. "I was worried…" I heard her say. "You weren't with us and…" "You thought I had left." I finished. She nodded. The sun slowly set as we sat there, marvelling at its beauty. During that time, I felt nervous for some unknown reason. I knew it wasn't time yet…I had planned everything out. I wasn't – no, I shouldn't be worried. Things have barely changed…She's still the same Amy I know and love, although I was surprised to know that she was a famous model. I saw her pictures on magazine covers as we were riding in the limousine. I had secretly bought one before I came back from Evergreen City. I have read the article about her several times…and I was not shocked to find that the personal facts about her were not completely written. She never told anyone much about herself as I know. I planned to gift-wrap the bracelet for her birthday which I had hidden inside the drawer of the bedside table near my bed. I made sure no one would find it. The sky was slowly turning a darker shade of blue to black. I relaxed as I lay down, she lay beside me. I always enjoyed being with her…Suddenly; we heard music coming from the large tent where the party was held. "Darling, maybe we should join them?" I nodded. We stood from our spot. I folded the towel neatly and we walked back slowly to join the others. I held her hand in mine.

Author's Note: Oh...I wonder what Gray is planning. : ) Hehe! Of course, I already know. I wrote it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it. I promise the next chapters will be longer though I can't say Chapter 19 would be. I already finished writing Chapter 19 to 21 but I won't post them just yet.They're still going through the perfecting stage, well, maybe not perfecting, but you know what I mean. : )


	19. The Guardians and The Friend

Chapter 19: The Guardians and The Friend

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews. They are the greatest of help. This is another short chapter but the later chapters will be longer. I won't tell you which chapters, you'll have to read them to find out. Well, read on.

Three shadows loomed above the rocks behind Gray and Amy as they walked back to join the others. "So, what do you think, Nessa?" One of the hooded figures spoke. "Hmm…I think you both are right, Lady Amethyst is in love." The short figure among the three, Vanessa, spoke. "I do believe they are and will always find happiness together." The tallest one spoke. "We can only hope so." Vanessa sighed as she removed the hood of her cloak, revealing her beautiful face and wavy raven, black hair. Her two companions removed theirs. "Why are we doing this again?" She asked. "It is Lady Rose's bidding." Alex sighed. "She's just thinking of her only child." Paul said. "She's always like that, although she knows Amy can take care of herself." Alex said in a matter-of-fact way. The three fell silent. "She's surrounded by good people." Alex commented, his amethyst eyes watching the group of young people. His other companions nodded. "Well, I better go, it's getting late." Vanessa said. The two nodded. She left the two; she was as swift as a ninja.

Alex took out a piece of folded paper from the pocket of his black pants. "What's that?" Paul had noticed the paper. "It's nothing." "Alex!" Paul looked at him. "It's a note…to someone." He did not need to look his oldest and dearest friend. He knew what he had to do. "I see…I hope that message is received well." Paul left him be. "_I just hope that snake doesn't come back."_

The sky grew darker; Amy looked towards the rocks…she felt as if someone was watching her. No one was there…neither there nor on the beach. She shook her head before joining the dance.

Gray entered his room alone after escorting Amy to hers. He found a folded note on the bedside table near his bed. No one was in the room. Cliff and Kai had things to do…with Ann and Popuri respectively. "Those two!" Gray shook his head; he did the same things with Amy, well, in one way or another. He sat on his bed and took the note from its spot. He gently unfolded it. There was a short message written on it…

_Her birthday is on the 22nd of Summer_

_-A Friend_

Gray was surprised. He now knew when Amy's birthday was, there was no doubt about it, but he didn't know who this "friend" was. He didn't recognize the hand writing, but he was sure it was a man's. He refolded the note and put it away beside the bracelet as a reminder, though he didn't need reminding. He was soon in bed, his breathing relaxed as his chest rose and fell gently.

Author's Note: Who could this friend be: ) It's somewhat obvious. Anyway...Gray's plans are slowly unfolding...I won't tell you what the master plan is...though I think you all know what it is already...maybe. : )


	20. Suprise

Chapter 20: Surprise

Karen and the other girls were sitting at a table in the Inn. There was no one else in the Inn. "Karen, why did you tell us to meet you here?" Popuri asked, impatiently. She had a date with Kai in half an hour and she wasn't even ready. "I told you girls to meet me here because of…" Karen paused for effect. "What?" The girls asked. "…Amy's birthday." The others were surprised. "You know when it is?" They asked in chorus. Karen nodded before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a note and placed it at the center of the table. The other girls looked at it intently. The message, they realized, was written in a girl's neat handwriting, it was short.

_Her birthday is on the 22nd of Summer. She loves surprises._

They checked the paper. There was nothing else written on the short piece of paper. "Oh my god, I don't believe it, she has the same birthday as Kai." Popuri gasped. "Oh please, Popuri, stop thinking of Kai for a minute and think about what we're going to do." Ann looked at her in annoyance. "Okay, okay." Popuri kept her mouth shut. All five girls thought for some time…"I have an idea, why don't we have a surprise birthday party for Amy?" It was Mary who spoke. "That's a great…" Elli couldn't finish. The girls saw the doors open. Amy came in. "Oh, hello girls." "Hi Amy!" They said in chorus. "Would you mind if I go up to my room?" "Of course not." Ann said. Amy smiled before she headed upstairs. The girls listened as the door to her room closed. "Phew, that was close." Karen let out a sigh of relief. "I hope she didn't overhear us." Mary spoke softly. "I don't think she did." Ann said. "So, what about the party?" Elli asked. They were all speaking in hushed tones. "I suggest it will be on that very day here at the Inn." Karen looked at them. "That's a great idea, but there's just one problem. Amy comes here everyday after doing her farm work." Ann confessed. "That's why we have to think of a way to keep her away from here for as long as we're preparing." Karen reasoned. "But won't Amy be suspicious?" Elli looked at her. "No. I have an idea." Karen smiled.

Gray was working by the forge when he heard the front door open. "Oh hello Mary, what brings you here?" He heard his grandpa say. "Hello Saibara, I came to talk to Gray, may I please?" "Of course. Gray!" Gray stepped out of the forging room. Saibara only nodded. Gray left the shop with Mary. "Mary, what's this all about?" "Gray, the girls and I need to ask a favor from you." Gray looked at her curiously. She whispered something into his ear. "What?" "Please Gray; you would really help us a lot." "…Okay." "Thank you so much. Well, I have to go. See you later." "See you later." Mary walked passed him, heading towards her house. When she was out of sight, Gray couldn't help smiling. It was going to be a great Summer…and perhaps an even better Fall...

Author's Note: First of all, I'd like to say that Summer 22 is Kai's birthday but unlike in the game that if you chose a guy's birthday, Summer 22 for example, his birthday would change. In real life, there are people who have the same birthday and, I thought, it would be nice to have that in the story. So anyway, what are the girls planning to do to keep Amy away? And what does Gray have to do with it? Find out in Chapter 21.: 3


	21. Love and Friendship

Chapter 21: Love and Friendship

Amy walked along the cobblestone path from the farm. She couldn't believe that it was her birthday but Doug had given her six letters that day from her parents individually, Max, Paul, Alex and Vanessa. Matt had greeted her too though Karen wasn't at the farm. She was thankful none of her "fans" knew where she was or they might have sent dozens of letters. She was surprised by Alex's letter though because there was another one inside the same envelope. It looked aged because it was yellowish around the edges. He had explained that it was something he should have given her seven years ago but he thought she would not have understood then. It was a letter…from Andrew. She almost cried when she unfolded it. It was supposed to be his birthday gift to her…a photo fell from the letter when she had unfolded it. It was a picture of them by the beach, building a sand castle. She couldn't believe he was gone…yet she knew he was in a better place. "I miss you…Big Brother." They had looked so much alike that people thought they were twins although he was two years older. Tiger and Lioness walked beside her, their eyes watching her. Amy and her two companions were just outside the Inn when Ann came out. "Oh, Amy. I don't think you should go in right now." "Why not?" "Because Dad and some of the guys are repainting the Inn. He said it needed a new color." "…I didn't notice." "Don't worry. It'll be done by 5 o'clock." Amy and Ann saw Gray walking towards the Inn. "Hi Gray." Ann greeted. "Hi Ann. Hi Amy." "Hi Gray." Amy smiled. Gray smiled then turned to Ann. "Ann, I heard your Dad needed a helping hand in repainting the Inn." "Yeah, but Cliff and the other guys are already inside." "Oh, I see." Amy saw him frown. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you and Amy spend the rest of the day together?" Amy blushed. "I…" She couldn't say a word, she was speechless. "It's a good idea." Gray finished for her. "What do you think, Amy?" Ann turned towards her best friend. Amy simply nodded. Tiger and Lioness walked off. "Well, I had better go. Dad told me to go grocery shopping. We're almost out of ingredients. See you guys." "See you, Ann." Gray said. "Bye, Ann." Ann waved before heading to the Supermarket. When she had already gone, Amy finally found the resolve to speak. "Darling…" "Sweetheart, why don't we take a hike?" "…Okay." They walked along the cobblestone path towards Mother's Hill.

Amy didn't know why but deep down, she felt unhappy. _"What's wrong with me, I should be happy. Not the other way around."_ She was surprised to find that after crossing the bridge, Gray didn't head up to the peak but turned left and walked towards the field full of flowers. A large and sturdy cedar tree stood in the middle of the field. Gray sat down underneath the tree, took off his cap, and rested on its trunk. He patted the spot beside him. She sat down. "Darling, I…Ouch." Something hit her head. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" A look of concern was etched on Gray's face. "Yes…I'm alright, Darling." Amy looked around the field, hoping to find the thing that hit her. She came across a reddish fruit, almost the size of an apple, lying on the ground near some of the pink cat mint flowers. She picked it up. "What is this?" Amy scrutinized it. "It's a power berry, Sweetheart." "?" Gray smiled. Amy couldn't help feeling happy; she still thought he looked so handsome especially whenever he smiled. "Sweetheart let me clean it for you." "Okay." She handed him the power berry. Gray stood up and walked down the path towards the lake.

Amy waited for him. Suddenly, she noticed something moving towards her. She looked at it closely. It looked like a tiny elf wearing a blue Christmas suit. When it was only a few inches from her, it stopped. "Hello, little one." "Hello, budum! Please follow me, budum." "?" "There's someone I think you wish to see, budum!" Amy stood up and followed the little elf. It was walking towards the woods. They followed the path until they came upon a clearing or what used to be a clearing. Now, it looked as if someone was camping out here.

There were two large tents, one yellow, and the other blue. A stack of firewood, a wooden table with three wooden chairs, and what looked like a campfire on the ground. "Who would be camping out here?" Amy didn't need to answer her question as she saw the flaps of the yellow tent open and a young woman, wearing a green shirt and jeans, stepped out. "Amy!" She cried. "Vanessa?" Amy was surprised to see her only real best friend from the city. "How are you?" They hugged. "Nessa, what are you doing here?" "Alex told me about this place and well, I kind of thought I would try roughing it out here in the great outdoors." "Then, who's staying in the other tent?" "Alex." "and?" Vanessa sighed; she couldn't hide from Lady Amethyst. "Paul…" Vanessa colored slightly. The little elf moved towards her. "Oh, Staid, thank you for bringing Amy here." "You're welcome, budum." Staid went back the way he and Amy came.

"So, I heard you have a boyfriend…or perhaps a future fiancé?" "Well…I…how did you know?" "I have my ways of finding out." Amy couldn't question that. Vanessa was the type of girl who knew mostly everything; she was also _the snake's_ competition for second place in the Top Girl charts. They sat down and couldn't help chatting about things, Amy had been away for almost three weeks now. Suddenly, someone stepped out of the bushes. Vanessa smiled. "Alex!" Vanessa hugged him. "Nessa!...Amy?" "Hi Alex." "Maybe I should leave the two of you alone?" Vanessa suggested before leaving the two of them. Alex sat down on a chair. It was quiet for awhile. "Amy, I'm really sorry about what happened between us." "It's alright, Alex. I forgive you." He smiled. "Are we still friends?" "Of course…Thank you for the letter." "You received it?" She nodded. "I understand why you kept it…You knew it wasn't time yet." "Yeah, I thought it would cause a blow for you. It shocked me when he gave it to me." "He gave it to you?" He nodded sadly. "As he lay on the hospital bed, he told me to give it to you before…" He trailed off. Amy bowed her head. There was silence again. She looked up when she heard movement. Paul entered the clearing, holding a wrapped canvas in one hand and a box, she knew, full of painting equipment in the other. "Oh, Hello, Amy." "Paul, you came here to paint." "As I said I would, you were right, Amy, it is beautiful here." He put the canvas and the box down. "Have you painted yet?" She asked enthusiastically. "Yes, it just needs a few finishing touches." "May I see?" "No, may we see?" Alex corrected. Paul undraped the canvas and showed it to them. It was the landscape at the top of peak. "It's…beautiful…" Amy couldn't help looking at it. Paul was an excellent artist. He was an expert in realistic art, the art of concealing art, as they say. Just by looking at the painting, Amy felt as if she were looking at the real thing. "Do you like it?" "I love it." "It was supposed to be a surprise for you." "Oh, Paul…Thank you." It was a symbol of their friendship.

Author's Note: Till next chapter...


	22. The Meeting and A Surprise

Chapter 22: The Meeting and A Surprise

Paul, Alex, Amy and Vanessa, who had finally joined them, sat on the ground. Amy couldn't help noticing Vanessa's meekness when she spoke to Paul. She giggled; it was a sign, a good sign of something. "Paul, I think I know someone who has a crush on you." Alex joked. "Really, who?" Paul seemed ignorant, though Amy knew that he had already known. She had gone through almost the same thing. She had noticed Vanessa turn pink. "Amy does, don't you think so, my little sister?" Alex looked at his younger sister. "Yes…Alex." Alex laughed as Paul merely chuckled and Amy giggled. Vanessa smiled feebly. "Alex, why don't you play a song for us?" Paul said when everyone had quieted down. "Oh, I couldn't, not now. I'm still recovering from my last "concert"." Paul nodded.

Amy turned to Vanessa when the guys had left them. "How are the Goddess Girls?" Vanessa looked at her and smiled. "We've been doing alright, the _snake's_ been removed. I heard she hasn't been accepted by any other modelling agency and even the entertainment business won't take her. But everything isn't the same without you, Lady Amethyst." Amy smiled softly. "It's good to know you are all doing well."

They heard movement by some of the bushes. A figure stepped out. "Aaah!" The two girls screamed. The figure was a chubby green creature with black, beady eyes and pointy ears. Its hands and feet were webbed like those of a duck's. "Which of you is Amy?" It had a gruff voice though it was evidently aquatic. "I…am." Amy tried to sound calm as she straightened herself. It walked towards her and handed her a blue fruit which resembled the power berry. "I'm…sorry. I accidentally ate your power berry." It said indifferently. "It's…alright. Thank you for this gift."

Out of the bushes, Gray appeared, almost soaked from head to toe. "Gray!" Amy ran to him. "What happened?" "I was washing your power berry when he sprang out of the lake and took it from me." Gray pointed to the creature. "Hey, I said I was sorry." The creature pouted; its fish lips visible. "Who are you?" Amy asked. "The name's Kappa." It said before it left. "How rude." Vanessa said. "Yes." Amy agreed. "Oh Gray, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Gray." "Hello Vanessa." "Hi." Vanessa smiled sweetly. Gray sat on a chair. "I'll get a towel." Vanessa volunteered before rushing into her tent. Amy took a seat beside him. When Vanessa returned, she handed Amy the towel. Amy wiped Gray's cheek, which made him smile. The warm sun helped him dry. Alex and Paul joined the three for lunch.

Gray and Amy left after saying their goodbyes. It was already 4:30. Amy carried the wrapped canvas. "Sweetheart?" "?" "I want to show you something." "What is it, Darling?" "It's a surprise." Amy followed Gray until they came upon the waterfall near the Hot Springs. "What is it?" He held her hand. "Follow me." They walked towards the side of the waterfall. Amy was surprised to see a cave behind the waterfall, she hadn't seen it before. They entered the cave. Amy gasped. Inside, there were sparkling gems of every size sticking out of the cavern walls. It was overwhelmingly stunning. "Oh, Gray, it's…breathtaking." Amy couldn't help feeling happy. It was a beautiful sight especially on her birthday. "Yes…it is." He said, his hands were in his pockets. The sight of Amy beaming with glee made him happy. Amy noticed him take something out of his pocket. "Darling, what's that?" "It's nothing, Sweetheart." He hid it immediately behind his back. "Oh…" Amy looked at the gems again. She had thought Gray might give her something. 'What am I thinking; he doesn't know it's my birthday today.'

"Sweetheart?" Amy looked at Gray. His hands were no longer behind him and he was holding a…a gift! "Sweetheart, happy birthday." "Darling, thank you…How did you know it's my birthday?" "Someone told me." He handed her the gift. She looked at it. "Open it." He spoke calmly. Amy carefully unwrapped the gift. She opened the box and gasped. Inside was a silver bracelet with ruby embedded silver charms dangling from it. "Oh, Darling, it's beautiful." "I didn't know what to think when you saw this cavern. Compared to it, that bracelet is petite." He took the bracelet from the box and put it on her wrist. She hugged him. "I don't think its petite, I think it's as priceless as the brooch. Thank you, Darling. Thank you very much." She kissed him tenderly. "You're welcome, Sweetheart." He caressed her cheek. They walked out of the mine and walked slowly towards the town. Once they reached the town, they headed for the Inn.

Amy opened the door. "Surprise." Everyone came out of their hiding places. She couldn't hide her surprise. The Inn was decorated festively in yellow, one of her favorite colors, and pink. "Happy Birthday, Amy." The girls chorused. "Happy Birthday, Amy." Each of the four guys said. "Thank you, all of you." She thanked them profusely, she was teary-eyed. "Now, let's get this party started." Kai said as he turned on the music.

The party lasted late into the night. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. Matt and Karen had to leave earlier than the others because Matt had to work the next day and Karen couldn't leave Marc alone long although almost everyone knew that Marc was already asleep. Amy and Gray headed upstairs after everyone had gone. Kai had walked Popuri home, to Rick's utmost dislike as he had to walk Mary home. Tim and Elli went back to the clinic. Cliff and Ann had taken a walk. "Goodnight, Sweetheart." Gray said as they stood outside the door to her room. "Goodnight, Darling." Their lips touched. Amy opened her door and went inside but she didn't close it until Gray was inside his room. Amy washed her face, brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. When she left the bathroom, she was surprised to see both Tiger and Lioness already sleeping on the other bed. She smiled before falling onto her own bed.

Later that night, Amy awoke from a bad dream, only to find her room as cold as it should be during winter. She tried to sleep but the coldness of the room kept her awake. She got up from her bed and put on her robe, hoping it would keep her warm. She looked at Tiger and Lioness, they were still fast asleep. She left her room quietly, knowing that most of the Inn's tenants were asleep. She tiptoed to the boy's room. She gently knocked on the door.

The door opened. Gray stood in front of her, wearing a robe. "Amy…Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He looked at her worriedly after realizing that she was standing outside. "Darling, I couldn't sleep. It's so cold in my room." Embarrassed, Amy blushed, knowing that it sounded odd. Especially since it was still Summer. Gray's lips curved into a half-smile. "You're not used to the cold, are you, Sweetheart?" "Well, I am…sensitive to it." "Do you want me to accompany you back?" She nodded, ashamed of her Achilles' heel. She and Gray walked side by side to her room. They entered. As she lay on the bed, Gray covered her up as if he were her caring older brother. Amy realized that she found the moment irresistible. "Gray?" "Hmm?" "Please stay beside me. It's so cold." Gray smiled as he lay on the bed beside Amy. She snuggled closer to him. His soft lips touched her forehead gently. "Goodnight, Sweetheart." He softly said. "Goodnight, Honey." She closed her eyes.

Author's Note: I changed my mind about discontinuing this fic. The reason why I discontinued was because I was so busy. But now that I'm free of all worries, I can continue, yay. : )


	23. A New Item

Chapter 23: A New Item

Amy walked along the cobblestone path headed towards the farm. It was the day after her birthday. As she reached the grounds, Luna bounded to her and leaped. He fell on top of her. She fell to the ground in the process. "Luna, stop that." She giggled as Luna licked her face. Luna stopped and got off. She scratched behind his ear, his tongue stuck out as he panted in delight. Amy scanned the area. The crops had already been harvested a few days ago and they were already tended to. Matt, she knew, was busy taking care of the animals. She walked towards the apple blossom tree and sat down under its shade. Her eyes wandered to its once green leaves. They were now starting to turn into a sort of yellow orange color. In a few more days, it would be Fall, she mused. Suddenly, the door to the house flew open. Karen stepped out of the house. "Amy, there you are." "?" Amy looked at Karen inquiringly. "I was going to go grocery shopping but I need some help." "I'd be glad to help, Karen. But, are you sure you should leave Marc alone?" "Oh, Marc's not here, Mom took him with her." "Oh, I see. A little spoiling time." The two chuckled. "So, shall we go?" Karen asked. Amy nodded.

As they walked, the leaves began to sway in the wind. "Amy?" "?" "Don't you think it's time you and Gray…" "What?" "Well, I don't know, it's just that as I see your relationship…it's special and it would be a waste if nothing came from it…" "What do you mean?" The words left Amy's mouth although she already knew what her best friend was thinking. "What I mean is…oh, never mind." Amy smiled. Karen was, at times, like this.

When they arrived at the supermarket, Karen went off to the cooking corner. Amy said a quick hello to Jeff, who greeted her back. She looked around the supermarket. It was still the same supermarket, the bags full of seasonal seeds were still placed on the wiped clean white table in the center, the cooking corner, an aisle full of ingredients, on the left side while the farming equipment and other such items on the right. As she turned to the cooking corner, something caught her eye. She moved to the aisle on her right. There on the right corner of the long table was a beautiful blue feather, it dazzled in the light of the sun that seeped into the store through the windows. She held it in one hand as she examined it closely. 'What's a blue feather doing here?' She thought. "Oh, so you've found the store's new item." Amy turned at the sound of Karen's voice. "I suppose so. What's this for?" "It's a Blue Feather." "I know it's a blue feather, but what is it for?" Karen shrugged. "Oh Amy, I can't believe that you don't know about the Blue Feather." "?" "It's the most beautiful and the sweetest thing a guy could give you in the world." "It's a gift?" "Oh, no, well, not exactly." Karen was blushing. Amy was bewildered, what could be so important about a blue feather? Her bewilderment must have been evident on her face because Karen giggled. "Amy, you really don't know?" Amy nodded. "I don't understand." She replied. "Here's a hint, when a guy gives you a Blue Feather, he kneels down and is planning to…" Amy blushed, she got the message. "So…it's like an engagement ring." "?" Karen looked at her curiously. "In the city, guys propose to the girls they love using engagement rings." Amy explained. She noticed Karen giggle. "Maybe that's why Matt was so nervous when he proposed to me." "Maybe." The two were silent for awhile. "So, are you planning to propose to Gray?" "Well, I…" Amy's cheeks flushed even more. She hadn't considered marriage yet..."But, Karen, I'm still seventeen." "Oh Amy, in this village, anyone is eligible for marriage once they reach seventeen year old." "…Isn't seventeen a bit young?" "I suppose in a way. But it has always been that way for years now, that's why you see most of the women here, including Mom, still look young." A thought dawned on Karen. "Amy?" "?" "Why don't you surprise Gray with a Blue Feather?" "Me? But isn't it the other way around?" "There are some cases that girls propose to the guys." "I…I'm not sure if Gray would accept." "I have a feeling he will."

Gray looked at the newly-made silver ring in his hand. It had cooled off several minutes ago. To his opinion, the band came out quite good for his first attempt at making one. He looked at the sapphire he had placed on it. It dazzled in the light of the fire in the forging room. Matt had given him the idea of using a ring instead of a Blue Feather, which he knew was traditional but he did like the idea of changing the tradition, even if it was just for this occasion. He wanted to laugh at the thought that he had done something which his grandpa never did before but he only smiled. He hadn't seen his grandpa make a ring, let alone teach him how to make one. It was the first thing he had done on his own since he arrived three years ago. He felt good because of it. Matt had hinted about the ring a few days ago, saying that Amy would love to receive one from him. His cheeks flushed when he thought of what Amy would say when…he would go down on his knees…

Author's Note: This fanfic is close to the end but not quite yet. There are still a few chapters more before I can say that it is complete. Anyway, you may review if you like. I do enjoy reading a review every now and then. :3


	24. A Plan

Chapter 24: A Plan

Gray went into his room earlier than usual that day. It was still an hour before lunch, which he usually spent with Amy. Since no one was in the room, he placed a red, heart-shaped, velvet box inside the drawer of his bedside table. He could, while there was no one around, think far more clearly and recall what he planned to do as he lay on his bed. The images played in his head. He would take Amy up to Mother's Hill tomorrow, the 24th of Summer, the Fireworks Festival. He wouldn't tell her why, only that he wanted her to see the fireworks from the top of the mountain and that the fireworks were best seen there. As they stood at the peak, watching the fireworks burst in the sky, he would catch her attention and kneel down, the velvet box in his hands. He would say that she had made him the happiest man in the world and she would make him even happier and that he would be the luckiest man in the world if she would agree to be his wife. He hoped she would.

'_But what if she wanted to meet your parents?'_ The thought crossed his mind. He sighed. If that were the case, he would agree to accompany her to visit his parents, whom he had neither seen nor visited during the three years he had lived in town. His mother, he knew, would be so delighted that he would visit them. He could already imagine what she would say. _'Welcome back, Gray, sweetie.'_ And he would blush in embarrassment as she hugged him. Then, she would ask about his life in town, his grandfather and then she would talk to Amy, asking him whether they would get married or not and when would it be. His father, George Silvercraft, on the other hand, would be as emotionless as he himself had been for the first few seasons he had lived in town, before he met Mary and made friends with the guys. He supposed that he had grown used to the fact that his father didn't show much love for him. His father was even indifferent to his mother when he still lived with them before he moved into town. "But I'm sure Amy would want to meet them." He told himself as he covered his blue eyes with the beak of his cap. In an instant, there was a knock at the door. He stood up from the bed and went to open the door. When he had opened the door, Amy stood outside. "Honey, may I talk to you for a moment?" Her eyes told him that it was important. "Of course, Sweetheart." "Maybe…we s…should take a walk first." She seemed nervous as she almost stuttered the words. "Okay."

The two of them walked out of the Inn and strolled towards Mother's Hill without speaking to each other. As they reached the flowering meadow in silence, Gray thought it was time he asked her why she was so nervous. "Sweetheart, is something wrong?" Amy looked at him. "There's nothing wrong, Honey. It's just that…" "It's just what?" He looked at her inquiringly. "I…I was wondering if, if it's alright with you…" "What is it? You can tell me, Sweetheart." "If it's okay, Honey, I was thinking perhaps we could visit your parents." Gray smiled, he was right. "Of course, it's alright, Sweetheart but we should wait until the day after tomorrow." "But why not tomorrow, Honey?" He kissed her cheek. "It's the Fireworks Festival, Sweetheart." He whispered gently into her ear.


	25. The Proposal

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating sooner but I had major writer's block. This chapter was the hardest I had to do. You have to read it to find out why.

Chapter 25: The Proposal

Gray paced around the room at the Inn. The sun was almost setting; it was almost time for the Fireworks Festival. He remembered his conversation with Amy the day before.

"_I would love to watch the fireworks tomorrow, Honey." "You will, Sweetheart. You will."_

Gray felt nervous. He didn't know why but he felt his body tense as he went through his plans again. He had changed into a jade green shirt and blue jeans. The heart-shaped velvet box was in his pocket. Suddenly, he heard someone knock on the door. "Gray, Darling?" Gray opened the door to find Amy wearing a light blue dress that emphasized her blue eyes. "Good evening, Darling." "Good evening, Sweetheart. You look beautiful." Amy blushed, which made her even more beautiful in Gray's opinion. "Shall we go?" He asked. She nodded.

They walked out of the Inn; Gray was holding Amy's hand. Amy was surprised when instead of going to the beach, where everyone else was, they were going to Mother's Hill. "Honey, why are we going to Mother's Hill?" "The fireworks are best viewed there, Sweetheart." The reply interested Amy. She loved fireworks and if they were best viewed up in Mother's Hill, she would enjoy them immensely.

When they arrived at the peak, a figure was standing there. From the purple bandanna, they knew who it was, Kai. Gray didn't know what to do. He couldn't propose to Amy if Kai was there to see him do it. He wanted it to be special…and private.

"Kai?" It was Amy who spoke. Kai turned around. "Oh, Hi Amy. What are you doing here with Gray?" "We're going to watch the fireworks here. What are you doing here?" Amy smiled. "Well, since Rick is down at the beach, I couldn't go there with Popuri so I went up here." Gray wished Kai hadn't gone there. The other man's presence was making him more uneasy.

At that moment, something shot up in the sky. It exploded into an array of pink. Amy gasped as several others followed suit, illuminating the ebony sky in an assortment of different colors, red, blue, green, yellow and even purple. She was amazed. It had been a long time since she'd last seen a fireworks display. The last time she could remember was several years ago on New Year's Eve, she was thirteen at the time but the memory remained with her.

Gray watched the fireworks for a moment before his gaze turned to look at Amy. The look on her beautiful face told him how much she loved the sight of the bright display of lights in the sky. She was radiant as her face glowed with each explosion of color. His mind wandered to the plan he had made. How was he going to propose to Amy when Kai was standing just a few feet from them?

"Gray?" Amy's voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her. In the glow of the fireworks, he could see that Amy was blushing profusely. "M…May I talk to you for a moment?" "Of course, Amy." The two walked towards the side of the peak near the forest, where Kai couldn't see them even if he tried. Gray saw his girlfriend tremble as they made their way to the side.

"Darling, I…I have something for you." He looked at Amy inquiringly as she held out a long, thin gift-wrapped box. She handed it to him. He took off the wrapper slowly. When he opened the box, Gray was surprised by what he saw.

Amy trembled at the sight of his surprise. 'It's a no.' She thought to herself as her mouth curved into a sad frown. Her mind wandered to the things that could happen to her when Gray spoke up. "Sweetheart?" "Hmm?" She was surprised when he kissed her tenderly on the cheek. He took out a small red, heart-shaped velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it immediately. The sight of the object inside made her gasp.

"Will you marry me, Sweetheart?" Amy felt tears forming. She was so happy! She hugged him lovingly, burying her face on his shoulder. "Yes. Oh Darling, yes. I will marry you." Gray smiled as he held her in his arms. He brought her chin up so that they looked into each other's eyes. His lips touched hers as the last of the fireworks exploded in the ebony sky.


	26. His Parents

A/N: I'm very sorry for the late update. This Chapter has been bugging me since I didn't know how to put it to paper. I went through major writer's block before my mind cleared up. I must say though that this may not be a good chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I warn you this a short chapter.

Chapter 26: His Parents

Gray gazed out off one of the large glass windows of the Silvercraft mansion. He was watching his mother talking to Amy in the garden. Unlike her husband or their son, Violet Silvercraft was an outgoing and caring woman. She illustrated the traits in her hospitable actions towards guests and her unfathomable precision as a lady of the mansion. She was a good wife and a wonderful mother but there were times when she could overdo things especially since she had only one child. She used to shower him with affection which mainly consisted of material items such as small toys, sweets and most things small children liked. But as he grew older, Gray felt that his mother was overdoing herself.

"Gray." Gray turned around at the sound of his father's voice. George Silvercraft was an indomitable man whose height and built told everyone who looked at him how powerful he was. Although his mother had told him that his father had a soft side, Gray doubted it. It was difficult to imagine such a man to have a sensitive side. Throughout his life, Gray had never seen his father in anyway affectionate. His father was rarely home especially after office hours at the jewelry shop.

"What is it, Father?"

"We need to talk." His father's words took him by surprise. They had never talked, not once in his life. Gray simply looked at the man, disbelieving his father's words. George sighed. "Sit down, Gray." He said as he motioned to the two comfy armchairs near the fireplace. Gray walked away from the window and sat as he was told but his eyes never left his father. It was like looking at himself several years from the present. George sat across from him.

"Father, what is it?" Gray couldn't help repeating himself. He needed to know why his father wanted to talk to him.

"She reminds me of her mother." His father simply said.

It took a few moments for the words to register in Gray's mind but when it did, his jaw almost dropped in shock. He just barely mouthed Amy's name. George nodded. "Father, I…I don't understand." Then Gray remembered what the Gourmet Judge had said. "May Winthor must be a famous woman."

"She was more than famous."

Gray looked at his father. In an instant, the realization donned on him. "You….you knew her?"

George nodded. He knew May more than anyone in the world. They had been together. They had been in love with each other. He felt a pang in his heart as he remembered the times he and May had spent together. The past was haunting him now except it had somehow gone right. His son was going to marry May's daughter, the spitting image of her. He would never forget her. Even when she was famous, May was still a young woman and she needed to feel safe and loved. George had done everything he could for her but he couldn't have her. Now, he knew what he needed to do. "Gray, do not lose Amy. Whatever you do, do not lose her."

"Father, I won't lose her. I love her more than anything in the world. I don't want to hurt her."

George was unconvinced but the determination in his son's voice told him that things could possibly turn out well. He nodded. For the first time in his life, he was left speechless.


	27. A Mother's Thoughts & Memories

Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I was working on another fanfic and it's going to be posted sometime soon. : )

Chapter 27: A Mother's Thoughts & Memories

May looked out at the lush garden of Rose House from her window. The rosebushes she had planted were blooming beautifully. She smiled. 'Henry always knew what I loved most.' The smile on her face suddenly turned to a frown as she looked away. Her eyes fell upon a heart shaped silver locket that was lying on the bedside table. She looked away, she couldn't bear to look at the locket but the memories kept rushing to her mind. "George…" May closed her eyes as she reminisced the happy moments she and George had shared together. Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. May opened her eyes. "Come in." A head popped into the opening of the door.

"Madame." The maid said.

"Yes?" May looked at the girl inquiringly.

"A letter came in the mail for you, Madame." The maid extended the letter to the lady of Rose house. May took the letter and scrutinized it. The envelope was an exquisite white one with a rose design on the rightmost corner. In the middle of the envelope, written in a delicate handwriting, was her name. May slowly opened the envelope but when she saw what was written on the letter, her heart fell. It read:

Madame May Winthor

We cordially invite you to attend the wedding of Mr. Gray Silvercraft, and your daughter, Ms. Amy Winthor. The wedding will be held at the Mineral Town Church at ten o'clock.

May looked out of the window again. "Annette." Annette, the maid, looked at Lady Rose. "Yes, Madame?"

"You may return to your duties now."

Annette bowed. "Yes, Madame." She made her way to the door and left.

May sighed. "George…what would have happened if we had been married?" She told herself before a small smile formed on her lips. "I…I wouldn't be who I am today if…I…I loved him…more than anyone in the world…" She remembered everything.

She had loved George from the moment she had bumped into him in Mineral Town when she had joined Henry for a summer vacation with his family. At first, she had thought George a quiet and reserved…very reserved young man. Yet, as time went on, he slowly opened up to her about himself. He told her that his father was treating him badly at work and that his mother had died when he was still young. He also told her about his plans to move to the city when he had finished his apprenticeship and she had told him her plans of becoming a model and owning a modelling agency.

Their love for each other blossomed as time grew pass but fate had decided that their paths would never cross. George had another girl, a young girl named Violet Smith, who was pregnant with his child. As the end of that summer drew near, May vowed to herself that she would never see George ever again...ever. She had left Mineral Town behind for good. She was thankful; she couldn't bear the thought of seeing George again after what happened.

"If….if it weren't for…he and I would have still been together…How ironic that history repeats itself…"

A/N: This fic is almost complete. : ) I won't stop writing though although I can't promise a weekly update on my future fanfics since I'm not finished with my other fanfic an RO fanfic.


	28. A Miracle

Author's Note: I am very sorry for the late update. It has been a month, I know. I wanted to update this story sooner but I was busy with other things and I wanted to add another chapter before this but I could not think of a perfect chapter to preside this one so I hope you like this chapter. This is the final chapter for this story although I hope to make a sequel to this.

Chapter 28: A Miracle

It was Spring the 12th, a warm spring day. Everyone in town would have been happy to see the sun that day after several days of constant rain. A figure stood on the seashore that day. Amy watched the waves lap against the sand. Gem, now almost a four year old toddler, was sitting on the rock where she and Gray sat almost eight years ago when she had first seen Gray without his cap. Gem was playing with several colorful seashells which she had found. Amy felt her eyes warm as tears began to swell. It had been a season since the accident. She felt guilty knowing that she was the one who made Gray interested in mining. "If it hadn't been for me..." Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. She remembered the last time she had been with him…

_It was a beautiful winter day, it was Winter the 12th. Gray had decided to go mining that day. "Sweetheart, I won't take long. Afterwards, we can spend time together as a family, I promise." He had said. "I suppose there's no harm…" Amy said as they watched their twin children play. Adam and Gem always wanted to go to the winter mine. "Mama, can we go?" Adam said as he looked at her with his father's enthusiastic blue eyes. His yellow-orange hair was slightly messy. "Yes, Mama, can we, can we?" Gem imitated her older twin brother. "Oh, alright but you two should stay with me. Okay?" Amy said as she combed Adam's hair. "Okay." The twins said as they nodded, they were only three years old. They left their home beside the blacksmith's shop, Gray carrying his hoe and his mining basket, and walked towards Mother's Hill then went to the lake which was already frozen. They crossed the lake carefully knowing that it was, at times, unsafe. They entered the mine, the children had marveled at the sight of it. Amy and the children stayed near the ladder leading to the first two floors as Gray mined. Suddenly, the earth began to shake. The two children, frightened, ran to their mother's side, leaving the gems they held behind. 'An earthquake.' Amy thought. "We have to get out of here." Gray said as he stood beside Amy. "There, there little ones; calm down." Amy soothingly said as she told the children to climb up one at a time. Gem was the first to climb up and she was followed closely by Adam. "Sweetheart, you have to go first." Gray said calmly. Amy nodded and climbed up after Adam. Amy, Gem, Adam and Gray walked quickly towards the next ladder as the earth shook aggressively and climbed up until they reached the top floor. Adam ran towards the entrance but he tripped on a small rock. Amy stopped and was about to turn around when…"Sweetheart, go and get Gem out of here. I'll get Adam." Gray said as he half-ran behind her. Amy nodded as she ran towards the exit, holding Gem's hand firmly as Gray turned around and ran towards his son, avoiding the falling rubble as best as he could. Amy and Gem had gotten out safely. "Adam…Gray Sweetheart…" Amy was about to run inside again but she was too late. The roof collapsed, covering the entrance of the cave or what was left of it. She gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands. Tears began to swell from her eyes. She had run to town, asking the men to help and to hurry._

_All of the townspeople had gone to the winter mine. The women had stayed by the shore as the men, excluding Jeff and Mayor Thomas, excavated the rubble. Gem was with Elli as Amy wept uncontrollably. The men found Adam first, he was lifelessly pale. Matt carefully carried him to Amy, who couldn't believe he was dead as she held him in her arms. "Adam…" She gently brushed a loose strand of his hair from his face. "Adam…" Gem looked at her older twin brother. Adam neither spoke nor moved. Amy was devastated by her loss. Karen and the other girls tried to console her but there was nothing they could do to make her feel better. She remembered vividly that it had been just moments ago that she had combed Adam's yellow orange hair and he had been smiling. Gem cried as she held her brother's hand in her two little hands. The men dug deeper and they were surprised to find that a pile of rubble moving. A hand appeared from it. Gray cautiously dug himself out, thankful to be alive. His forehead was wounded, there were bruises on some parts of his body but there weren't any broken bones as he could tell. But when Amy and Gem looked at him, he knew what had happened. He had not saved Adam. He felt devastated and wished he would have died in his son's place. He stayed beside Amy as she held Adam close, the way she had done when he was just newly born. Gem was still crying; no one could blame her…"Mama…" Amy was surprised to hear Adam's voice and thought that she was hearing things as she looked at Adam. "Mama…" He said softly, his blue eyes half-open as his lips curled into a smile, showing dimples. Amy's sobs turned into convulsive happy tears. "Adam…Oh, Adam!" "Mama…Papa…" "Adam." Gray beamed as he looked at his son. "Adam!" Gem lunged for her brother. "Gem…Mama, why are you crying?" Amy couldn't answer as she held him lovingly. "I'm just so happy, Sweetie." She kissed him on the cheek. The townspeople were relieved as they watched the touching sight. Saibara was the most relieved among them; he had almost believed that his grandson and his great-grandson were dead. He thanked the goddess that they were alive._

Amy couldn't help weeping with tears of joy as she remembered everything: Adam's birth, his first words, the first time he walked by himself…everything. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her. Gray looked at her calmly but his eyes told her that he too remembered. He held her in his arms as she wept, unable to control herself. It was truly a miracle that both he and their son were alive and well, both of them had recovered fully although Adam had a scar on his left shoulder. Amy hadn't known what she would have done if they had...not survived. "Mama?" "Mama, Papa!" The two looked behind them; Gem was running towards them, Adam was running closely behind her. They were both smiling.


End file.
